The $100 MBA Show

Just because you’re down, doesn’t mean you’re out.Businesses fail. In fact, some might argue that you’re not a true entrepreneur if you’ve never had a business fail!The question is: what do you do when it’s happening?Today, we explore a few specific options. When every metric available tells you that your business is headed straight for a cliff, you have some decisions to make. Can you save it? Can you sell? Should you just go back to your day job? It all depends.Even if your business is doing great, you never know when circumstances may force you to pivot. Consider the strategies we explore today, and know that even in the worst-case scenario, you always have options.Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

They say “it takes money to make money.”We say: Hold my beer.You don’t need major investment or capital saved up to create a business. In fact, just to show how little you can start with, today we explore how to start with nothing!Before he was the game-changing business coach and SaaS founder we know and love today, Omar had to start from scratch — without any scratch. In this episode, he shares how he started a real business with nothing but a little networking, creativity, and gumption.And of course, you can do the same.It may take a little time, but starting with little or nothing is actually one of the best ways to see if a business really has legs. Why sink money into something that may or may not work? Instead, you can know for sure that something works so well, it doesn’t even need a cash kickstarter.If startup capital is what’s holding you back, give this episode a listen. It just might open your eyes to the possibilities. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sometimes, you just need more revenue.Often, that means getting more customers. But not always!For example, today might be the first Q&A Wednesday in which — rather than simply answering the question — we suggest our loyal listener rethink the problem in the first place.In this episode, we help a barbershop owner with a steady, profitable business that just isn’t growing.While the needs of a brick & mortar business can be a little different from the online kind, the basic principles are universal. Getting more folks in the door (digital or literal) is always a good idea. But is it the top priority, or the best strategy to accomplish the real goal: more revenue?Hear our suggestions for helping this barbershop maximize profits — and why that doesn’t necessarily mean putting more butts in the chairs. Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What are people really buying when they buy your product?The answer to that question can make selling it dramatically easier.Of course, it requires a little thought. Whatever your product or service is, it’s a means to an end for the consumer. And the end is all that matters, when it comes to your marketing and sales approach. What will the customer actually get once they put your product into action?Answer that honestly and fearlessly, and you won’t have to do much “selling.”Today, we share examples of the businesses that do this best. They look beyond the sale to the meaningful, real-life result their product brings. By understanding the real benefit of what they sell, these entrepreneurs make their products impossible not to buy.This strategy is all about simplicity and clarity. Get to the heart of what gives your product its true value, and it’ll almost sell itself. Hear some of the best examples of this principle at work — Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The better you communicate, the better your business will do.And yes, for almost every entrepreneur, that means having to write well. Whether it’s books, e-books, blog posts, sales copy, or even just social media, you need the written word. Even if it’s just for that all-important SEO, you have to write.The good news? You don’t have to be Stephen King to produce great writing.…just ask Stephen King.Today, we review his classic On Writing, where the mega-best-selling author shares a powerful secret: anyone can write, if you just put in the effort.Of course, a little strategy helps too. In this episode, we share the entrepreneur’s take on King’s book, and share the takeaways that business people can use to enhance their communication, from marketing copy to partnership proposals.Learn how the entrepreneur in you can unleash the writer in you! Click Play!On Writing by Stephen KingDiscover all our must-read book reviews at https://100mba.net/bookreviews.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

No business product magically solves everything.Lately, we’ve seen more and more companies offering pre-fabricated marketing and sales “funnels.” Some of these companies claim that their funnels can replace things like your company website.It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these funnels. But the way they’re marked misses the point.Today, we explore the value of specific, targeted funnels and the products designed to build them. More importantly, we dig into how your own website is an irreplaceable complement — or even an integral part of — your marketing and sales funnels.Some of this debate is semantic, but most of it is strategic. Learn exactly what funnels are and how they work, and why you should always maintain a website, even when you have other assets doing some of the marketing and sales work for you.Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recessions are like rainstorms. They’re not something you can avoid.They’re something you prepare for.Just as you might keep an umbrella or a raincoat around, a business owner needs a plan in place for when the economy takes one of its natural, cyclical downturns. And that plan should not include winding down or stopping your marketing efforts.You just need to approach the market with a recession mindset.An ugly economy can be just as good a reason to buy something as to not buy something. When consumers experience financial anxiety, they don’t respond only by hoarding cash. Many respond by looking for more value in every purchase.In other words, people don’t always shop less in a recession. They often just shop smarter.All you have to do is position your product or service as the smartest choice! Today, we share our approach to marketing when things aren’t exactly bullish. With a little strategy, optimism, and trust in the good sense of your customers, you can not only survive a recession, but thrive in it.Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A bad hire can cost you.There’s nothing worse than wasting time, money, and effort bringing in someone new, only to lose them shortly thereafter.Maybe they don’t have the right skills. Maybe they lack the right work ethic. More often, they don’t have the right attitude. But that’s not the most important reason it didn’t work out. The most important reason is that you didn’t see what they were lacking before you hired them.It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener who’s having trouble finding the right help.In this episode, we share our exact system for hiring, for any position. From the initial job posting to the final interview to the trial period (yes, there should be a trial period), we share step by step how we almost always manage to find a great fit. Before your next hire, hear how our process works — and decide if it can work for you. Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale feels almost as obligatory as Thanksgiving itself.But do you have to do it?Sometimes, following the herd is the best way to get lost in the crowd. With a billion promotional emails hitting inboxes this time of year, is your holiday sale a smart play, or just adding to the noise? Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you have to — but it doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t, either.So what are your options?Today, we explore different takes on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday strategy. When you run your own business, you get to decide how — and even when — to do promotions like this. And by doing things a little differently, you can stand out while staying true to your company’s core values.Hear what other businesses (including ours) do to put our own twist on the holiday sale. Then, do things your way. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Success is never immunity.Even the biggest businesses fail, as explored in this week’s Must-Read book review. Jim Collins’ How the Mighty Fall is a fascinating look at the demise of huge, multi-billion dollar enterprises — but its lessons are just as applicable to small businesses.If success leaves clues, so does failure.Your business isn’t FTX, or Blockbuster, or Nokia. But the same patterns of leadership (or lack thereof) can sink a small business as easily as a giant one. As the leader of your business, it’s critical to avoid doing what more high-profile founders did wrong.Learn what caused some of the most successful companies in history to crash and burn. Hear the telltale signs of trouble on the horizon, and position your business for longevity, not just growth.Click Play!How the Mighty Fall by Jim CollinsDiscover all our must-read book reviews at https://100mba.net/bookreviews.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.