Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this Grow A Small Business Podcast episode, Troy interviews Ami Bateman, a 2023 Telstra Best of Business Promoting Sustainability Winner in Queensland, a 2023 SBE Australian Global Growth program participant, and CEO & Co-Founder of Pleasant State; a company that creates ethical products that make home care a form of self-care, eradicating single-use plastics and toxic cleaning chemicals from people's homes. In the scope of self-care your home is a big factor. Ami went through this realization so that you don't have to, she was suffering from chronic headaches in her home due to toxic cleaning chemicals and single-use plastics. They had this idea of adding water, and now it's a huge success with a Net Promoter Score above 78. Pleasant State in last year's fiscal year achieved 150% growth and did $440,000 in revenue. When asked about what she would tell herself on day one of starting out, Ami heavily emphasized the importance of nurturing your network. "People buy into people." Your network is your support system, where you can get all kinds of help, including funding, personal growth, or exquisite mentorship. This Cast Covers: Creating ethical products that make home care a form of self-care. Innovating a product for the betterment of everyone's well-being. The impact of single-use plastics and toxic cleaning chemicals on people's homes. A combined passion for technology, health, and safety. Running effective crowdfunding to drive significant business growth. Positively impacting people on the planet while achieving a profitable business. Achieving literacy in e-commerce provides immense value. Hiring potential employees based on their value alignment with yours. Pursuing one's own growth and development. Nurturing your network with great care. Links: Ami's Linkedin Ami's Company Website Additional Resources: The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor Female Startup Club ____________________________________________________________________________ Quotes: "You need to participate in stimulating the economy and create jobs." — Ami Bateman. "Positively impacting people and the planet while achieving a profitable business." — Ami Bateman. "Anytime you're facing a new problem or a new subject matter, top the podcasts, read books, but most importantly, your network." — Ami Bateman. "We're building a brand that people love." — Ami Bateman. "Your network will be so important." — Ami Bateman.

In today's Quick Fire Friday episode, Michael interviews the Founder and Leadership Team Coach of Evolution Partners, Brad Giles. He is a strategic planner, professional trainer & coaching consultant, speaker, and best-selling author of "Onboarded" and "Made to Thrive" books. Brad has always been passionate about growing mid-market businesses and has started seven companies over the years in different industries. Fourteen years ago, he started getting into coaching and now helping leaders across Australia grow their revenues from 10 to $300 million through a proven structured strategic planning process. According to Brad's research, 83% of people have companies have an onboarding process of 14 days or less. The problem is that only 4% have a 90-day onboarding. And 30 days is the inflection point where the impacts start to happen. For this reason, Brad is prescribing the 90-day onboarding process as one of the best practices in an organization to avoid wasting time, money, and effort in onboarding people. Brad and his team collaborate with company executives to guide their recruit through three phases to become the "right person" for the job: comprehending in month one, learning and applying in month two, and embedding in month three. So the first month, it's where the manager is more of a teacher. The second month is when the manager is more of a mentor. And in the third month, switch to more of a leader as a coach. So it's more of a coaching relationship with that new hire to get them to own and be accountable for their roles and responsibilities. A key takeaway that small-medium business owners can learn from Brad is the emphasis on the subject that business owners should apply proven structured strategic planning processes, particularly on the aspect of onboarding new hires in a three stages 90-day process to have a good understanding of whether or not that person is the right one for the job. It is one of the best practices that could be used in an organization to prevent wasting time, money, and effort; it is one of the key aspects that increase productivity and delivers success to the entire business. This Cast Covers: Has founded seven companies over the years in different industries out of passion and love, which led to coaching and helping small-medium businesses. 14+ years in coaching and helping leaders typically work with businesses from 10 million to $300 million in revenue. Helping business owners learn how to onboard new hires to the point where they are effective faster. Shares five roles that CEOs got to perform to achieve five great results. Asserted building systems around people that generate accountability. Stressing that desire and capability to do the task without understanding how to succeed can create misery and problems that lead to the leader's frustration. Take three years of research and an international research study to implement simple tools for onboarding people. Discussing the positive effect of following the three stages 90-day onboarding process at multiple levels. Talks about onboarding debt that creates expensive rework, problems, and cultural challenges. Mention that there's a direct connection between the retention of a new hire, attrition rate, and the quality of the onboarding process. Links: Brad's Linkedin Evolution Partners Additional Resources: Made to Thrive by Brad Giles Onboarded by Brad Giles Quotes: "Having the desire and capability but having no understanding of how to succeed can create problems and frustrations as a leader." — Brad Giles "There's a direct connection between the retention of a new hire, attrition rate, and the quality of your onboarding process as well." — Brad Giles "No one wants to be micromanaged. And no one wants to be a micromanager." — Brad Giles "Getting the new managers to understand and to work more as coaches have led to significant sort of further impacts around their revenues and their profits." — Brad Giles "New hire wants to spend time with a manager to get to know them to get to know how to succeed in the role." — Brad Giles

In this episode, Troy interviews Declan Kluver and Blake Thompson, based in Brisbane, Australia. They co-founded XRecruiter. Blake and Declan go all the way back, but they finally converged when COVID hit; their pipelines and clients fell and evaporated overnight. So they started chatting again, brainstorming ideas, and in August 2022 they launched XRecruiter, a company that revolutionizes the future of recruitment by taking an industry-first approach. XRecruiter assists high-performing recruiters who would not have considered starting their recruiting firm and provides them with all of the same support and tools they are accustomed to from their job. Enabling them to create their brand while taking home 90% of their billings. Since their start, they are now earning at least $581,000 per annum with four full-time equivalents. All the while taking away the need to manage admin, marketing, accounts, and all the mundane operational aspects from the hands of the recruiter. In the context of adding or recruiting people, it's important to highlight the significance of the boss and employee dynamic before proceeding with hiring them. This is especially true when hiring your friends, you need to draw a line between friendship and business, maintaining a formal tone and the professional nature of the relationship. This Cast Covers: Helping people launch and market their recruitment agency. A robust business model that revolutionizes the recruitment industry. Prioritizing the business' overall growth, regarding scale and its network. Doubling down on one niche, own it, and beat the other businesses in it. Finding and developing your personal brand especially in small businesses to raise reliability. Utilizing grants available to your access as a means of funding your business. Abstaining from being overly anxious, and controlling your imagination. Taking more accountability and responsibility for the people around you. Having intimate relationships with colleagues at the same time maintaining a formal undertone. Business owners commonly fall into the trap of hiring egoistically. Links: Declan's Linkedin Blake's Linkedin Declan and Blake's Company Website Additional Resources: Confessions of a Recruiter Podcast Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins, Jerry I Porras Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson M.D. Living With A SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet by Jesse Itzler Diary Of A CEO Podcast Quotes: "We just want to grow as fast as we can with the right people." — Declan Kluver and Blake Thompson. "The really big businesses that do one thing well will always beat the other businesses." — Declan Kluver and Blake Thompson. "Your personal brand matters the most." — Declan Kluver and Blake Thompson. "Draw a line between friendship and business." — Declan Kluver and Blake Thompson. "A lot of new business owners fall into the trap of, is ego, ego hiring." — Declan Kluver and Blake Thompson.

In this episode, Troy interviews Sondre Rasch, the Co-Founder, and CEO of SafetyWing based in San Francisco, United States of America. Sondre has set up his own business, to provide health insurance for remote teams and digital nomads and remove the role of geographical borders as a barrier to equal opportunities and freedom for everyone. From running a venture-funded startup company that benefits the Freelancers on the platform, now growing a health insurance business for remote teams and digital nomads. SafetyWing was established in 2018 and has been in operation for 5 years. Growing with 22 billion ish and over 150 people. Sondre says starting a health insurance agency that provides benefits for Freelancers in this remote world of work necessitates preparing for the challenges and opportunities that come with it. "People have problems, people have arguments with each other and then you become like mediators slash psychologists and chief and it's just it's not building product", he says, but having the correct model and understanding of what you're doing, having an ideal solution, and proper worldview, he succeeded. "The benefit is that if you can be relentless, and resourceful across that barrier, you have very few competitors", he added. This Cast Covers Offers health insurance for remote teams and digital nomads. Previously running a venture-funded startup called "Superside"- a great Freelancing platform. Shares his history of working for the Norwegian social safety net that helped him create his own online-base business. Starting in 2018 with a couple of hundred thousand dollars to 22 billion ish in revenue and growing with over 150 people. Following the "standard playbook" in venturing solves many problems. Creating a product that people would love. How to secure the best quality customers through "word of mouth" and "mimetic desire". The 3Fs can be the breakthrough of venture stages. The relevance of influencer marketing these days. Recommendation on how to add people to the team and build a sustainable and kickass culture that helps with the growth. Links: Sondre's Linkedin Sondre' Twitter Additional Resources: SafetyWing Hackers & Painters Book by Graham Paul Quotes: "Success is completing the product, and the SafetyWing is to be a success." —Sondre Rasch "Make a product that people love so much, and then find top influencers and let them write about your product."—Sondre Rasch "Just follow the standard playbook in venture stages." —Sondre Rasch "The benefit is that if you can be relentless, and resourceful across that barrier, you have very few competitors." —Sondre Rasch "Hire people based on their general ability than their particular experience." —Sondre Rasch

For this week's Quick Fire Friday episode, Michael interviews Andrew May, the Founder & CEO of Strive: Stronger based in Sydney, Australia. He's recognized as one of the world's leading human performance strategists and leadership coaches. A best-selling author. In-demand keynote speaker. Top-rating podcaster. Leadership and transformation specialist. And, mental skills coach for elite athletes and sporting teams, CEOs, Founders, and entire organizations. Seeing his life purpose as waking people up to a better way of living working and leading, Andrew is now helping small-medium business owners manage energy and high-performing team. According to Andrew's research, many of their clients are struggling with work/life balance, which is affecting their productivity and morale. Employees are caught in a never-ending cycle of busyness and reactivity. Have felt exhaustion and showed signs of burnout. Felt disconnected, disengaged, and psychologically unstable. And this has been amplified due to the disruption caused by the pandemic, macroeconomic instabilities, geopolitical issues as well as shifts to the "new normal" of work. Andrew helps small-medium business owners and their employees by managing and improving the three big components of energy: first, physical energy, second, psychological and emotional energy, and lastly, social energy. A key takeaway that small-medium business owners can learn from Andrew, is the emphasis on the subject that business owners should realize that healthy and sustainable well-being and productivity behaviors are essential to the success of any organization. Thus, effectively managing and improving the physical, psychological and emotional, and social energy which builds healthy and sustainable well-being, and productivity behaviors can ensure ripple effects throughout the organization. This Cast Covers: The significance of managing and improving energy and high-performing team in an organization. The three components of energy and its ripple effects throughout the organization. Suggestions on how to manage energy amidst adversity. A widespread struggle with life/work balance that's affecting productivity and morale. Interconnectivity of the three components of energy. The "big factor" supplements the three components of energy. The importance of down-regulate in building more energy. Building a strong culture and safe environment inside the organization. Have a team where people learn grow, develop, and result. Developing meaningful relationships and solidarity inside the company. Links: Andrew's Linkedin Andrew's Company Website Additional Resources: MatchFit: The Complete Manual to Getting Your Body and Brain in the Best Possible Shape for Work, and for Life. Quotes: "You can train your body as well as your mental skills to get fitter, faster, and stronger, but not in a pressurized environment." —Andrew May "Sustainable high-performing team has both a really strong culture and psychologically safe environment." —Andrew May "Have a team where people learn, grow, develop, and result." —Andrew May "If you're serious about running a small business, then start taking yourself with utmost care." —Andrew May "The one big factor that gives you more energy to go on is aligning your work/life with your purpose." —Andrew May

In this Grow A Small Business Podcast episode, Troy interviews Travis Lamance, from Dallas Texas, United States. Travis is the CEO of Haven Aero. He started his humble aviation career with an A&P license he got in 1999. He worked for several individuals for a few years, later on, Travis then launched his maintenance business. Years went by, and with his garnered experience in the aviation business, he decided to combine it with his entrepreneurial aspirations. Launching two successful unique aviation companies, Flight Mechanix and Haven Aero. To build, run, or grow a business, you need money or more specifically, capital. It's hard generating funding, it's twice as hard especially if you're starting a capital-intensive industry such as aviation. However, that's not a problem for Travis, he took a partnership and minor credit and he built from there. Travis also utilized the concept of sweat equity in marketing their business, gaining popularity and fame through appearances in podcasts and social media; preserving cash and budget. Looking back at all of it now, Travis would tell himself on day one of starting out, "Be patient, be persistent, and stick with it, it'll all come to fruition." You don't have to be in a race to get to the finish line. You can arrive there at your own pace, enjoying the view along the way; don't forget the goal is nothing without the journey it took to get there. This Cast Covers: Increased demand for private aircraft since the pandemic. Taking the next necessary big step to grow the scale of your business. Winning the daily battles to win the war. Successfully launching and legalizing your startup to the government to start operations. Getting the right team around you and the right people in the room. Marketing creatively to abide by the limits of a capital-intensive budget. Being smart with money, not putting all your assets in one basket. Figuring out the business's cash flow to not draw in more debt. Seeing returns on hiring a coach that is willing to get critical about you. Staying lean and mean, contemplating carefully whether to hire the next person on the team. Links: Travis' Linkedin Travis' Company Website Additional Resources: Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins, Jerry I Porras The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber Quotes: "The biggest challenge is getting the right team around you and the right people in the room." — Travis Lamance. "Marketing is a lot more about creative marketing." — Travis Lamance. "Things don't get solved smoothly and permanently when you just fix them with money, you've got to fix them at the root." — Travis Lamance. "You got to get an outside impartial person to come in there and give you brutal feedback about where you suck and where you don't." — Travis Lamance. "Be patient, be persistent, and it'll all come to fruition." — Travis Lamance.

In this episode, Troy interviews Samantha Dybac, host of the Influence Unlocked podcast and the CEO and founder of The PR Hub, rated 2022 Sydney's No 1 PR Agency. Samantha started her career in brand marketing as a University student with Aussie success story Nad's Hair Removal, the foundations for her learning of and passion for the intersection of founder storytelling and brand PR. She's based in Sydney, Australia. Samantha started the business in 2013 as a side project while working in government relations alongside former NSW Liberal leader, Kerry Chikarovski. The PR Hub is a public relations and corporate communications agency. It has successfully carved out a niche and reputation for representing award-winning entrepreneurs, business leaders and high-growth, challenger brands, trusted to develop their personal & company brand stories, and then develop and execute sophisticated communications strategies that help them get recognised and support key objectives like capital raisings, stock exchange listings, partnership announcements, international expansion, acquisition and more. For Samantha, success includes many things including growing an amazing team where she can contribute to their learning and personal growth, while helping tell the stories of The PR Hub's impressive client roster. Samantha also shares some insights into her own personal journey as a Mother and solo business owner and why the recruitment and onboarding process are critical to business success. This Cast Covers: How Troy and Samantha have known each other The big misconception around PR and Marketing Revenue dropping to about 80% at start of COVID The difficulties of having a fast-paced, high-growth environment Years ago made plenty of mistakes recruiting people and how it was solved The hardships of balancing family and work Links: Samantha's Linkedin Samantha's Instagram Additional Resources: Trello No Bullsh!t Leadership Podcast Atomic Habits by James Clear Quotes: "Get yourself out there, go and meet people within the industry that you operate in, send emails, call people, make a list, and new social channels that are relevant again to your business and your audience." —Samantha Dybac "You need money to live and to have a lifestyle but it's never been the key driver for me in building businesses." —Samantha Dybac "I don't call myself a publicist anymore. I have a passion for PR in the sense that it's all about building relationships, connections, and networking, and helping great people get their products and services out there on a broader scale. So those businesses can grow. That's my passion." —Samantha Dybac "If you're not focusing on the things that are bringing in the revenue, you actually can't grow your business." —Samantha Dybac "You don't always have to say yes to everything that looks like an opportunity that knocks on the door." —Samantha Dybac

In today's Quick Fire Friday episode, Rob interviews Rachael Evans, the Founder & CEO of the Workshop Whisperer. She is a world-leading visionary business pioneer, speaker, author, and advisor. Rachael started her marketing and sales career at an early age. She has grown her own multi-dollar companies in male-dominated global industries. Driven by her passion and desire of helping others, Rachael is now helping auto repair shop owners across Australia and New Zealand to achieve business and lifestyle success. After the Global Financial Crisis, Rachael saw a gap in the market. She then identified a need for coaching in the auto repair shop industry. And with her marketing and business growth, tactics, and strategies she had acquired and developed from her own experience and previous business, along with her skills in creating online programs, she developed a unique online training program that helps auto repair shop owners in terms of cash flow management, productivity, efficiency, and leadership problems. Rachael helps them improve the financial reward, but also the lifestyle reward by coaching, changing money habits, setting up new systems, generating additional profits and savings, and providing practical real-life examples through peer groups. A key takeaway that Rachael recommends to all business owners is to implement a four-day workweek. The need for space for business owners and employees to relax and to restore and achieve work-life balance has numerous benefits in terms of productivity. Burnout is prevalent, thus, having the space to relax and enjoy life the way we want it to be can cause a healthier, happier, and more communicative workforce. This Cast Covers: The "pain points" are why auto repair shop owners struggle to become great business owners. Benefits of choosing a specialist business coach rather than a generalist business coach. Developed a "world-class curriculum" -the solution to the problems of auto repair shop owners. Discuss how poor leadership can be a bottleneck to business growth and development. Asserted that problems revolving around the auto repair shop industry are more on internal rather than external. Improving the four major areas in the auto repair shop industry can ensure success. The reinforcement of a solution that has quick results, attracts business owners. Learning from real-life examples rather than sticking to old systems can be a great source of profits. Reasons why business owners should implement a four-day workweek. Three benefits in making space for the employer, team, and overall business. Links: Rachael's Linkedin Rachael's Workshop Whisperer Website Additional Resources: Poor to Profit: An Auto Repair Shop Owners Guide to Financial Success by Rachael Evans Quotes: "It is vital that if you're going to invest good money in a coach, they understand your industry intimately because they've walked in your shoes at some point in their own business". —Rachael Evans "Marketing problem is rarely the actual issue, it is the productivity, efficiency, and leadership problem." —Rachael Evans "We just need to be biting off one small piece of the elephant at a time, not trying to do something for three years down the track." —Rachael Evans "As business owners, you need space to relax, to restore, and also to be able to think for the business instead of just all of that below-the-line stuff every day." —Rachael Evans "We want a life for ourselves and for the people who actually devote an enormous part of their life to working for us."—Rachael Evans

In this episode, Troy interviews Victor Peña, Founder and CEO of OmniPrint International. He's based in Orange County, Southern California, USA. Victor is an electronics engineer, and naturally, he's heavily involved with technology. He was a technician, managing the in-room internet in hotels all around the county. Discovering he loves the print industry, he transitioned to his newfound niche in print engines and printing on-demand T-shirts, turning it into a successful multimillion-dollar business. Offering the best digital printers and printing technology with the best digital DTG (direct to garment) printers on the market, Victor Peña and his company, OmniPrint International, empower small-medium business owners around the world with their continuous innovation, high-quality prints, and the ability to be able to print on a wider range of fabrics, paving the way for business owners to sell their products at a better price. Since his start in 2004, they now have a roster of 70 full-time team members, earning $16 million in revenue in 2021, up from zero when they started 19 years ago. Victor heavily emphasized that marketing is the number one thing that any business should invest in and that focusing on having the best-engineered product simply isn't enough. Because having the best widget and the best technology is of no use if the product isn't known. So it goes to show that a better-marketed product will always be the greater product. This Cast Covers: Empowering business owners with the technology of the company. Development of the technology and the software of a product. Constant optimization and planning to scale the business. Focusing on creating bigger goals and bigger targets. Becoming a better leader and running a more organized organization. Investing money into marketing should be a top priority. Funding the startup with the pre-sales model of financing approach. Putting on money on other forms of investment such as multi-family real estate. Being able to attract, incentivize, develop, and retain top talent. Finding the best leverage you can get with the money you have. Links: Victor's Linkedin Victor's Company Website Additional Resources: The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone Valuetainment The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz Quotes: "We have to make sure that we're always optimizing and figuring out how to grow and scale businesses." — Victor Peña. "Focus every year on creating bigger goals and bigger targets." — Victor Peña. "Marketing is the number one thing that any business should invest in." — Victor Peña "Culture is defined by every single team member." — Victor Peña. "Pick someone that has crushed it and has done well at what you want to do." — Victor Peña

In this episode, Troy interviews Kristie Baird from Drip IV based in Gold Coast, Australia. Offering a wide range of Vitamin IV treatments in clinics, homes, hotels and offices in Australia. When Kristie was 13, she had glandular fever, which then developed into adult life into chronic fatigue syndrome. Visiting friends in LA, she was introduced into IV therapy which is very common there. Went back to Sydney and she can't find anyone offering IV Therapy services. Knowing how beneficial it can be, she decided to go all in to open up one in Australia. Kristie says the hardest thing in business is finding the right team members, learning how to identify those team members, and making sure that you're creating job roles that are a necessity, not just creating job roles to fill the space. The number one thing she would recommend is to not outsourcing your marketing. There are a lot of outsourcing marketing companies and PR companies that are not fully invested in your company or your vision or your goal. This Cast Covers: Starting her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 17 How she discovered commercial intravenous (IV) vitamin therapy How Drip IV was born Effect of COVID into the business How the business was funded Why she opted to create a mobile business instead of brick and mortar Working with a predominantly female 98% team What she enjoyed the least about managing fast growth What she loved most about growing a small business How doing podcast most mornings have helped her Benefits of having a mentor Expanded nationwide to 110 locations and 330% growth in 2022 Transitioning to a franchise model with plans of expansion Links: Drip IV Additional Resources: Atomic Habits by James Clear The Diary of a CEO Podcast JotForm Quotes: "When you get so busy in your day-to-day work life, you forget to look back on where you were, how many years ago." —Kristie Baird "Success is having freedom, having a work-life balance, having great friendships, relationships, that's kind of my success now." —Kristie Baird "I've had to work on my own growth so that I can be the best version of myself for my team and for the business." —Kristie Baird "You cannot be good at everything. You can't be all over all areas of the business. You can't be a marketing manager, HR accounts, and a CEO, you really have to identify where your weaknesses are and employ those people that can complement your weaknesses." —Kristie Baird "I find that if I start my day with some form of exercise, my day runs so much smoother." —Kristie Baird