Grow A Small Business Podcast

Troy Trewin
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Aug 4, 2023 β€’ 20min

QFF: An adviser and the Host of the Quick Fire Friday Podcast itself; now helping small-medium business owners evade the mistakes in recruitment and hiring team members with their Ultimate Recruitment Toolkit course. (Rob Cameron)

In this week's Quick Fire Friday (QFF) episode, Troy interviews Rob Cameron, the host of most episodes of the Quick Fire Friday Podcast. Turning the tables as Rob takes the hot seat to discuss recruitment for small businesses. Recruiting the right team members is crucial for any business, but it can be challenging, especially for small-medium business owners. That's why we've launched "The Ultimate Recruitment Toolkit," a 10-day short course designed to help you become a more effective hiring manager. This course includes a playbook with templates, phone scripts, email templates, and behavioral questions to guide you through the hiring process. We recognize that hiring A players can make a significant impact on your business's growth and success. On the other hand, making a bad hire can lead to financial and emotional costs that no one wants to deal with. That's why investing in your own learning and development as a hiring manager is crucial. Our course covers everything from creating clear job descriptions to conducting effective interviews and reference checks. Using a professional recruiter is an option, but it comes with a cost. While they can bring in a pool of great candidates, it's essential to remember that the final decision lies with you. You should be confident in the person you're hiring, as you'll be living with the consequences. So, if you're ready to take your recruitment skills to the next level, check out our Ultimate Recruitment Toolkit on growasmallbusiness.com. With the knowledge and resources provided in this course, you'll be on your way to building a strong and effective team that will drive your business to success. Ready to dive deeper into this topic? Tune in to this week's podcast episode, where we tackle the pain and mistakes small-business owners make in recruitment and hiring team members. Link to listen now! Don't miss out on this game-changing insight. πŸ‘‡ ___________________________________________________________________________ Quotes: "The hardest thing in business is the people, but it's also where most of the value is." β€” Rob Cameron. "The impact that having an A player in your business can make on the growth and success of the business." β€” Rob Cameron. "The source of most of the pain and frustration in business is people when you've made a bad hire." β€” Rob Cameron. "The more people you can bring in at the top of the recruitment funnel, the better the odds that you're going to be able to find that A player that's really going to make a difference." β€” Rob Cameron. "Help people design a process that's going to give them relevant information on the A players that they want to choose from." β€” Rob Cameron. __________________________________________________________________________
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Aug 2, 2023 β€’ 1h 15min

Fueled by the desire to champion Product Stewardship, reducing the negative environmental impact of marketable products; earning $500,000 last year, averaging 50,000+ in sales with 8 FTEs. (Oscar Langoulant)

Exciting opportunity for small to medium business owners employing 5-30 team members. Are you ready to learn, grow, and invest in your ongoing development? Don't miss out on our latest podcast featuring a special guest who shares invaluable insights for business success. In this episode, Troy asked Oscar Langoulant, of We Assist Co based in Melbourne, Australia, the final five questions: Oscar emphasizes that the hardest thing about growing a small business is learning to say "no" to opportunities that may seem financially appealing in the short term but do not align with the true value and sustainability of the business. He advises business owners to focus on long-term growth and charge what their goods or services are truly worth, even if it means selling higher-priced packages. Trusting in the value they provide will yield positive results and attract customers who appreciate that value. Oscar recommends "You, Inc." by John McGrath, which provides valuable insights into a new perspective. Additionally, he mentions "Playing to Win" by Roger Martin, the former CEO of Procter and Gamble, which discusses strategy and decision-making, mindset, and personal growth. Oscar suggests the GASB Podcast and the "Neil Patel Podcast," which likely cover marketing and business-related topics. He also enjoys "Living 4D" with Paul Chek, and although he focuses on learning Chinese currently, he encourages others to explore podcasts that align with their interests and professional development goals. Uber and Upwork are valuable tools for outsourcing tasks to cost-effective freelancers. Additionally, Google offers a wealth of resources for website development, SEO, and other aspects of running an online business. Utilizing Google's technical documents and the Facebook ad library can provide valuable insights into competitors' strategies. Finally, Oscar's advice to himself on day one would be to charge more for the goods or services provided. He realized the importance of valuing his offerings appropriately, trusting in their worth, and not undervaluing his business. Charging what the business truly deserves contributes to long-term success and growth. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey. πŸ‘‡ ___________________________________________________________ Quotes: "We try to create the relationship, create the trust." β€” Oscar Langoulant. "There is nothing that we can't do because what really happens is we specialize in the first instances of research." β€” Oscar Langoulant. "Success probably looks like walking into larger organizations growing that market understanding of how we can do this differently." β€” Oscar Langoulant. "Create a business that has a good NPS so that people want to refer." β€” Oscar Langoulant. "Trust what the cost of your goods is." β€” Oscar Langoulant. ___________________________________________________________
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Jul 30, 2023 β€’ 44min

An Entrepreneur, Purpose-led Coach, & Founder of Wyseminds, now supports female entrepreneurs to find purpose-led growth on their own terms by eliminating the complexity and concentrating on the best course of action for progress. (Julie Perkins)

Exciting opportunity for small to medium business owners employing 5-30 team members. Are you ready to learn, grow, and invest in your ongoing development? Don't miss out on our latest podcast featuring a special guest who shares invaluable insights for business success. In this episode, Troy Trewin asked Julie Perkins, the founder of Wyseminds based out of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the final five questions: What does Julie believe is the hardest thing when growing a small business? Damian emphasizes keeping things relevant, and exciting, and keeping it curious and moving towards purpose is what makes running a business difficult. So he states the importance of having a strong network so you have to position yourself in this beautiful niche and be very clear about what you do and who you fit into and who you support. Julie's favorite business book is "Digital Darwinism" by Tom Goodwin. And the thing she liked about it was it places digitalization in a specific way in a business. She also said that his writing could help you start to get it in perspective by getting you to question where, what for, and also about the history of innovation. When it comes to professional development, Julie finds immense value in making herself redundant on a continual basis. One of her favorite platforms is 'Mind Valley' which provides broad viewpoints going back to the accessibility of education. Juli suggests an effective tool for small business growth is learning the power of the network. This includes taking their network very seriously, investing in it, cherishing it, and celebrating it. And associating yourself with others in the industry, by making a particular niche out of yourself. Finally, if Julie could go back to day one of starting out, he would advise himself to be prepared and enjoy the ride. And that is going to be the most important thing that keeps her going day and night because it's going to be a very tough journey. Making sure to be super geared up for those good times and not good times to keep her eyes on the vision and the purpose. Keep her eyes on it and keep fitting well. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey. πŸ‘‡ ___________________________________________________________________________ Quotes: "Keep great ideas alive in the community." β€”Julie Perkins "​​Put yourself back in and make yourself redundant because that space for a founder of a small business is priceless." β€”Julie Perkins "If you get a purpose and you live an embedded purpose, the financial success side also will sort itself out." β€”Julie Perkins "Protect others, protect yourself, and ensure that your value is not just for today." β€”Julie Perkins "Don't be afraid of niche. It's not small. It's nesting to Nesler to discover." β€”Julie Perkins __________________________________________________________________________
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Jul 27, 2023 β€’ 15min

QFF: A successful radio show host and publisher of the Ultimate Achievers Magazine, now helping small-medium business owners master effective communication and leverage social media to cement their identity in the industry. (Brian K Wright)

In this week's Quick Fire Friday (QFF) episode, Rob Cameron interviews Brian K Wright, an esteemed host of Success Profiles Radio and publisher of Ultimate Achievers Magazine. He's based in Northwood, Iowa, United States. He also helps people write their books. Brian shared his journey from being a teacher to working in call centers before pursuing his passion full-time. He emphasizes the importance of effective communication through writing and speaking and believes anyone can improve these skills with practice. Brian's main clientele consists of established entrepreneurs who want to amplify their message. He advises against merely writing a book about one's life and suggests focusing on how the book can benefit the reader. Instead of writing a car manual-type how-to book, Brian first asks important questions to his clients, which can make the content more relevant and engaging. By addressing specific issues, even a seemingly mundane topic, like gutter cleaning, can be transformed into an interesting and informative book. One of Brian's key pieces of advice for small business owners is to create and repurpose content consistently. He recommends leveraging social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to reach a broader audience. By repurposing content from previous posts or leveraging ideas from a book, one can maintain a strong online presence and increase authority in the industry. Ready to dive deeper into this topic? Tune in to this week's podcast episode, where we tackle the importance of business structures and the implications for tax. Link to listen now! Don't miss out on this game-changing insight. πŸ‘‡ ___________________________________________________________________________ Quotes: "With a lot of practice, you can get good at whatever you want to get a lot of good at." β€” Brian K Wright. "How can you move them from not knowing you at all very well to Yes, I trust you?." β€” Brian K Wright. "It's about having a structure for your book and fitting the stories within that structure." β€” Brian K Wright. "Don't make the reader work that hard." β€” Brian K Wright. "A confused customer will never buy anything from you." β€” Brian K Wright. __________________________________________________________________________
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Jul 25, 2023 β€’ 40min

A Program Coach, Digital Sales Manager, and CEO of Thriday, now inspiring small-medium business owners to continuously improve by adopting technology and maintaining a positive attitude towards obstacles with 30 FTEs. (Michael Nuciforo)

Exciting opportunity for small to medium business owners employing 5-30 team members. Are you ready to learn, grow, and invest in your ongoing development? Don't miss out on our latest podcast featuring a special guest who shares invaluable insights for business success. In this episode, Troy Trewin asked Michael Nuciforo, the founder of Thriday based in Melbourne, Australia, the final five questions: 1. What does Michael believe is the hardest thing when growing a small business? Michael feels that overcoming your fears can be quite tricky, particularly if one is building a business while being a perfectionist. To stay focused, he emphasised the significance of understanding how to cope with obstacles and the be a constant positive force for the team. 2. Michael's favourite business book is "The Great CEO Within" by Matt Mochary as it hits all the key points regarding running a company of any size. For individuals who aren't avid readers or podcast listeners, he also suggests watching YouTube videos on the subjects they are interested in. 3. Michael believes that having optionality can de-risk the business and ensure good progress. This involves avoiding doing everything yourself and utilising collaborations, as some excellent companies could complement what you are providing your clients. 4. Michael suggests an effective tool for small business growth is mastering ChatGPT and AI. In terms of describing how they launch their products, those tools, in Michael's opinion, made their lives a lot easier. And with the aid of artificial intelligence, time consuming processes like blog writing or creating email copy has significantly been reduced. 5. Finally, if Michael could go back to day one of starting, he would advise himself to not feel sorry for himself when things go wrong. If you always look at things as a learning experience, you can examine what you could have done differently the next time. One of the last things you should have to do is spend hours each week managing financial administration, typically after hours. To address this issue, Grow A Small Business and Thriday have teamed up. Thriday automates banking, accounting, and tax using artificial intelligence. Take advantage of Thriday's special offer today for all listeners of Grow A Small Business, and you'll save $100 on your yearly subscription, reducing the cost from $299 to $199 with one-month free access. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey. πŸ‘‡ Quotes: "Don't go too fast too quickly and make sure that everything you do is working." β€”Michael Nuciforo "Even if bad situations come up, if you actually try to twist it to focus on the positive, you will learn from it." β€”Michael Nuciforo "Leaving a legacy of building business that employs people, treats them well, and that they can actually grow in the company is highly motivating" β€”Michael Nuciforo "Don't limit yourself to your strength or an area that you feel comfortable with, really explore what's out there." β€”Michael Nuciforo "If you are a good communicator and can inspire people, you can probably cover a lot of cracks." β€”Michael Nuciforo
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Jul 23, 2023 β€’ 56min

Recognized internationally in Canada, New Zealand, and expanding to the US; pioneered Australia's most unique, sought-after foil brand. Earning 30,000 in its first year to 5 million by the end of 2023. (Emily Ciardiello)

Exciting opportunity for small to medium business owners employing 5-30 team members. Are you ready to learn, grow, and invest in your ongoing development? Don't miss out on our latest podcast featuring a special guest who shares invaluable insights for business success. In this episode, Troy asked Emily Ciardiello, Co-founder of Foil Me based in Adelaide, Australia, the final five questions: Question 1: What is the hardest thing about growing a small business? Emily believes the biggest challenge is not allowing the business to consume every aspect of one's life. In the early years, she found herself completely absorbed by her business, neglecting her health, family, and personal life. She emphasizes the importance of being present and avoiding being overwhelmed by the business. While not a traditional business book, Emily recommends Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" for personal growth, which she found to be valuable in her business journey. Emily mentions Troy's podcast as a valuable resource for professional development. She also recommends "Diary of a CEO" by Steven Bartlett, which features guests with diverse perspectives and insights. In terms of online learning tools, Emily finds marketing-related emails from Shopify and social media insights from Later to be helpful. Emily suggests utilizing social media as a powerful tool for business growth. Emily's mantra is "GSD" - Get shit done. She emphasizes taking action and getting things done right away. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey. πŸ‘‡ Quotes: "Our brand was built on relationships and trust." β€” Emily Ciardiello. "You got to be consistent and you have to engage, you can't just expect to post and then disappear." β€” Emily Ciardiello. "It's not like you've failed because you have to reach out to banks to help you fund your business. It's just what you need to do in order to grow." β€” Emily Ciardiello. "A squeaky wheel will come off if you don't fix it straight away." β€” Emily Ciardiello.
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Jul 20, 2023 β€’ 19min

QFF: 20+ years of experience as an accountant, an individual well-versed in business structures. Now helping small-medium business owners handle the difficulties of establishing the right business structure and tax implications. (Nathan McGrath)

In this week's Quick Fire Friday (QFF) episode, Michael Denehey interviews Nathan McGrath, the Head of Accounting and Tax at Collins SBA, based in Hobart, Australia. Nathan shares his 20 years of experience in public practice, helping small and medium business owners with their accounting needs. The main focus of the discussion is the importance of business structures and their tax implications. Nathan emphasizes the significance of proper communication with clients to understand their goals and objectives, which is crucial in setting up the proper business structure. He also highlights the need to consider asset protection when choosing a suitable structure. Nathan highlighted the importance of reviewing business structures regularly, especially as businesses grow and change. He recommends business owners ask a lot of questions to their trusted professionals to ensure their structure aligns with their goals and that they're not paying unnecessary taxes. It's essential to have the right business structure in place; a feat that can be achieved by asking lots of questions of the pros. The more questions you ask, the better insight you're going to have. Ensuring their desires are granted. Ready to dive deeper into this topic? Tune in to this week's podcast episode, where we tackle the importance of business structures and the implications for tax. Link to listen now! Don't miss out on this game-changing insight. πŸ‘‡ __________________________________________________________________________ Quotes: "Whenever you're talking about any business structure, you need to get an understanding of who the lawyer is for the client." β€” Nathan McGrath. "Most people are setting up a structure or going into business with a short-term view." β€” Nathan McGrath. "Having the right people in the right room at the right time." β€” Nathan McGrath. "The best option is to get the structure right in the first place." β€” Nathan McGrath. "The more questions you ask, the better insight you're going to have." β€” Nathan McGrath. __________________________________________________________________________
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Jul 18, 2023 β€’ 36min

Started with just himself, now covering over 70-80% of Oostas' expenses over the past 2 years by building the business through recurring revenue; working with over 200 different clients with 7 FTEs. (Adam Kirk)

Exciting opportunity for small to medium business owners employing 5-30 team members. Are you ready to learn, grow, and invest in your ongoing development? Don't miss out on our latest podcast featuring a special guest who shares invaluable insights for business success. In this episode, we asked Adam Kirk, the CEO of Oostas based in Lancaster, United States, the final five questions: What is the hardest thing about growing a small business? According to Adam, making decisions alone as the owner and CEO can be a significant challenge. He shares his experience of building a small leadership team, which proved to be an incredible decision for their business's growth. Adam recommends several great books, including "The Millennial Whisperer" by Chris Tuff, which offers insights on effectively leading millennials. Other notable mentions are "E-Myth," "Built to Sell," and "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. He highlights three valuable resources. Firstly, he mentions the Grow A Small Business Podcast. Additionally, he recommends "The How of Business" with Henry Lopez and "Agents of Change," offering practical interviews and insights beneficial for small business owners. While not a physical tool, he emphasizes the importance of having a business mentor. He highlights the value of having someone who can walk alongside you, providing guidance and acting as a sounding board throughout your entrepreneurial journey. Adam's response is simple yet powerfulβ€”don't give up. He acknowledges the challenges and tough moments that all small business owners face but encourages perseverance and resilience to overcome obstacles. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey. πŸ‘‡ Quotes: "Build it on recurring revenue." β€” Adam Kirk. "There was a lot of revenue made, let's invest it back into the business." β€” Adam Kirk. "Utilize social media." β€” Adam Kirk. "It's a challenge managing people, there's a lot of joy in it." β€” Adam Kirk. "Ask for help and have a business mentor or a business coach or something like that." β€” Adam Kirk.
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Jul 16, 2023 β€’ 43min

9+ years at PwC and working in the health space, now Running an advisory and technology business in the aged care sector to help manage rostering and workforce management. Growing from 2 to 55 FTEs for 13 years now. (James Price)

In this episode, Troy interviews James Price the Founder, and CEO of Mirus Australia based in Sydney, Australia. James has set up an advisory and technology business in the aged care sector to help fix business problems for clients by using technology business processes that they call "business co-sourcing arrangement" that allows teams stay on top of those revenue management issues. With over 9 and a half years at PwC and towards the end of that tenure, James works in the health space with his partner Rob Covino to solve a key problem for aged care clients. And after about a year they decided to take the plunge and then go out and build business themselves. Mirus Australia was established in 2010 and has been in operation for about 13 years already with over 55 FTEs. Jame has said that growing a small business involves focus and repeatability. So he mentioned, "Focus and repeatability are very important because you're a small business and you're very agile, there's a temptation to have a go at lots of different things." This Cast Covers: Running an advisory and technology business in the aged care sector. Been working out for almost 13 years already. Maintaining full entitlements from the government for aged care funding. Started off in a revenue space in terms of government subsidy, then moved into CRM marketing. Helping manage rostering and workforce management. Created a method called 'process companion' to support the regular routine of financial analysis reporting throughout the month. The effectiveness of business-to-business marketing in the early stage of your small business. Practical tips for an easier bank funding deal. Benefits and efficiency of putting a process into an IT system. Discussing the importance of knowing what you can do and what you can't do. Links: James Linkedin James Twitter Additional Resources: Mirus Australia Quotes: "When you're a small business, you've got to recognize what your strengths are." β€”James Price "If there's a good business process, let your clients hear." β€”James Price "You can't be all things to all people." β€”James Price "If you're putting a process into an IT system, then you immediately get the benefits." β€”James Price "You have to sit back from time to time and look at the bigger picture." β€”James Price
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Jul 13, 2023 β€’ 18min

QFF Co-Founder of Australian FinTech, Fundabl, supporting Australian businesses to thrive and scale during the current funding environment through its business-owner friendly funding solutions. (Ethan Singer)

In this week's Quick Fire Friday episode, Rob interviews Ethan Singer, co-founder at Fundabl based in Sydney, Australia. Fundabl was founded in 2021 by a passionate team on a mission to support the Australian ecosystem to thrive and scale by offering a suite of fast, flexible and non-dilutive funding solutions to growing businesses. Fundabl's funding solutions caters to a wide range of businesses, in particular software and tech-enabled businesses, professional services businesses and other online businesses. The team can provide funds within in as little as 24 hours and is typically used to smooth cash flows, accelerate business growth and to bridge or complement a capital raise. The current macro environment has made it challenging for many businesses to obtain funding. Alternative funding options continue to play a vital role in supporting the growth of businesses. "It is so important that business owners are aware of the funding options available to them, their various characteristics, benefits and flaws. There is more than one way to construct the capital stack, and you want to make sure that you go with a capital partner that best suits your needs" Ethan said. This Cast Covers: Background to Ethan Singer and the inspiration behind Fundabl Difference between dilutive and non-dilutive funding. Advantages of maintaining equity ownership. The differences between various debt products – what to look for. Fundabl's offering Which business owners are using Fundabl and what Fundabl are solving for these businesses Benefits to getting capital from Fundabl to a big bank. The simple process to get funding from Fundabl. Built their own proprietary underwriting model to quickly assess and analyse clients and to provide them with a trading limit and the cost of funds. What Fundabl requires in order to support a business and what is sometimes missing when clients come to Fundabl Ethan shares advise to business owners to navigate the current funding environment Links: Ethan's Linkedin Additional Resources: Fundabl Quotes: "Don't leave things too late to approach your potential funder, put yourself in the best scenario, and have the greatest chance of being able to receive funding." - Ethan Singer "There is more than one way to construct your capital stack." – Ethan Singer " Founders and business owners might not necessarily be the most naturally skilled capital allocators so there are lots of resources and people to speak to that can support in choosing the most optimal funding option." – Ethan Singer "See if there is a more optimal and effective way to grow your business using alternative funding options." – Ethan Singer

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