Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode, Troy interviews Stephen Sokoler, Founder and CEO of Journey based in New York, USA. Stephen spent years in the business sector, founding and running companies, which helped organizations celebrate and inspire their employees. He first found meditation through Buddhism and after years of personal practice, Stephen recognized that wellbeing needed to be shared with the world in a more approachable, accessible way. In 2015, he founded Journey. They support a wide range of profit and non-profit organizations ranging from Walgreens and their 250,000 employees to Blackstone to the Harlem Children's Zone, which is a charter school in Harlem. And everything they do is around proactive mental health. Making sure employers keep their employees mentally, and emotionally well. Stephen thinks the best tool to grow a small business is a community of other people who are doing the same thing. Not necessarily with the same field but people who can give you advice, who can be there to listen, who can relate emotionally to what you're going through. This Cast Covers: How having a really authentic story and going out and telling it in whatever way you know helps your marketing His passion about mental health How he first found meditation How Journey is helping employers keep their employees mentally, and emotionally well The Loveland Foundation which is a non-profit organization that provides therapy for black women and girls Why fundraising is the most stressful point of the business journey The challenges of a start-up The idea of work-life, integration, or work-life harmony, as opposed to work-life balance Links: Stephen's LinkedIn Stephen's Twitter Additional Resources: Good To Great by Jim Collins Built To Last by Jim Collins How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer The Journal by WSJ Podcast The Daily by New York Times Podcast Today, Explained Podcast Morning Brew Daily Newsletter Quotes: "Getting a good night's sleep, to me, is foundational." — Stephen Sokoler "I think the best advice I ever got, or the thing that I keep in mind is to know yourself." — Stephen Sokoler "Best work gets done when it's quiet, when I can think, when there are no emails coming in." — Stephen Sokoler "We believe that having a healthy family, having a healthy environment leads to healthy employees." — Stephen Sokoler "The best marketing tool is having a really authentic story and going out and telling it in whatever way you know, podcast, some writing or even TikTok." — Stephen Sokoler

In this episode, Rob interviews Steve Kidd, an entrepreneur, a business coach, an author, and a radio host. His specialty is helping people write books, and in particular, best-selling books that can open doors, create opportunities, and ultimately, through those things will help people build their wealth. Steve is a third-generation minister, and an international best-selling author of 20 books including "Best Seller is Only the Beginning" and counting. He started the company in 1988 and has worked with literally 1000s of people to help them all the way through the process from writing, to publishing, to marketing their books, to best sellers, and beyond. Steve says the number one credential you can have as validation is to not just be the person who wrote the book. But also, more importantly, to be a best seller. This Cast Covers: Process on how they help a client with their book Strongly recommend going directly through Amazon because that's where 90 plus percent of all books are sold these days. Multiple different ways that you can make money when selling books His latest book, which is called "Best Seller is Only The Beginning" Links: Website Linkedin Additional Resources: Best Seller is Only the Beginning: The Secret to Unlocking True Ongoing Wealth by Steve Kidd Quotes: "You're never going to maximize your marketing until you are the expert at what you do." — Steve Kidd "Everybody needs to be an author." — Steve Kidd

In this episode, Troy interviews Steve Rozenberg, who is a jack of all trades; he's an international airline pilot, author, educator, speaker, real estate, and business coach. He's based in Houston, Texas, USA. Realizing he didn't like the thought of not being the one in control of his future after the tragic events of 9/11, he shifted from being an international airline pilot to growing independent businesses. He started a real estate property management company, which became the fastest-growing property management company in Texas and now has 10,000 properties. Now he is helping small-medium business owners through his website, Steve Rozenberg, with everything from properties, investments, and business to sales and closing, marketing, scaling, and so much more. Steve advises entrepreneurs that in order to successfully market a rapidly expanding company, they need to zero in on a narrow subset of potential customers. Spotting the person, their age, gender, especially the problems that they have that they'll be providing the best solution to. This Cast Covers: Steve shifted to real-estate management from being an international airline pilot. Becoming the fastest-growing property management company in Texas, in seven years. Helping small-medium business owners build their businesses that can run independently. Leveraging offshore resources. Adding and removing staff based on the plan. Intensely focused on the current goal. Religiously documenting the numbers of your business. Showing deep affection to your staff, making them feel involved. Surrounding oneself with the right kind of people. Striving for the life that you want. Links: Steve's Linkedin Steve's Business Website Steve's Instagram Additional Resources: Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business by Gino Wickman The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It Quotes: "You never should build a business where you are the focal point around the business." — Steve Rozenberg. "Don't be afraid to start and end a chapter, don't wait for it to be going down in flames." — Steve Rozenberg. "You come up with 10 ideas every day nine of them suck. But one of them's the moneymaker. Focus on the one." — Steve Rozenberg. "Saying no has made me a lot of money." — Steve Rozenberg. "What gets measured gets improved." — Steve Rozenberg.

In this GASB Podcast episode, Troy interviews Daniel Levan-Harris, founder of Mango Logistics Group and co-founder of Edible. He grew up in Tel Aviv, racing high-performance sailboats, but he now lives in London, where he started his entrepreneurial career. Shortly after moving, he worked as a sales and marketing manager for his uncle, gathering skills and knowledge that paved the way for him today. Despite its organic roots, Mango Logistics earned $300,000 in its first year and doubled in the second year, growing about 20% year after year with a total of 60–65 FTEs. Daniel Levan-Harris says that as small and medium-sized businesses grow, their owners should pay attention to their networks. As you can build meaningful relationships around it, it can help you improve professionally, and help your business in terms of marketing. He said, "Having a great network is a must that I've set, and I've built my business, my contacts, everything, on all the networking I've done over the years, and I'll never stop." This Cast Covers: How Troy and Daniel knew each other way back in the 2000s. Mango Logistics Group, a courier company. Daniel's life journey before his entrepreneurial success. The importance of building relationships within a company. Growing a company organically. Degree of difficulty bringing in desirable employees. Adaptability to various situations and different relationships. Staying true to your core values. Quickly getting rid of people who induce toxicity. Links: Daniel's Linkedin Daniel's Company Website Additional Resources: The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve Peters Quotes: "Keep on moving the goalposts to what you consider an achievement." — Daniel Levan-Harris. "You need a good brand to market it and you need a good marketer to market the brand." — Daniel Levan-Harris. "Bringing in good people, that's hard work and it's very hard to work it out." — Daniel Levan-Harris. "Having a network is probably the most important thing, especially if you're a sole owner." — Daniel Levan-Harris. "Stay strong on your core values." — Daniel Levan-Harris.

For this week's QFF episode, Rob interviews Gail Kasper, a speaker, TV host, and author. She's based in Los Angeles, California. She has an organization called Gail Kasper Television, a communication-to-training organization. She uses her amalgamation of experiences to assist her listeners in achieving executive-level sales and communication. All of us fear something, fear of success, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, etc. Specializing in being logical rather than emotional; Gail Kasper helps small-medium business owners with her creation which she calls, the Systematic Attitude Development Technique; a technique that trains business owners to not be overwhelmed by emotional response, and to act logically rather than emotionally. For small-medium business owners that are coming to work on Monday morning, Gail implied to ask their employees, "Why are they here?" Gail asks her employees that because she values the belief in the product that her employees have a passion for, will take the company a long way. Because you can't be standing by yourself, you need an army. This Cast Covers: Gail Kasper, is a speaker, TV host, and author. The motivation element. Not letting fear consume the better of you. Making sure everything is going according to plan. Being logical instead of being emotional. Systemic attitude development techniques. Focusing on one thing at a time. Capitalizing on opportunities based on logic rather than emotions. The value of having a consultant and a coach. Assembling a team that will support your business. Links: Gail's Linkedin Gail's Website Gail's Twitter Additional Resources: Unstoppable: 6 Easy Steps to Achieve Your Goals by Gail Kasper Quotes: "If we stop ourselves before even getting started, then we've just failed." — Gail Kasper. "Many times in life, it's right when we're on the verge of success that we decide that we're going to quit." — Gail Kasper. "The leaders got to be like, just like a coach on a team." — Gail Kasper. "A belief in the product that you have a passion for that is going to take any company over the top." — Gail Kasper. "You can't be standing in it by yourself. You need that army with you that can support your efforts." — Gail Kasper.

In this episode, Troy interviews Victor Purlnik, who's based in Berlin, Germany. Victor's the founder of a company named Trustshoring. A company that helps companies without technical leadership launch and scale their business with remote developers from Eastern Europe. Helping over 300 startups and businesses. Realized his passion isn't in programming but in referring people to people and teams that they can work with despite being a freelance web developer at the ripe old age of 14, he started Trustshoring, bootstrapped, and self-funded, in 2016, at the age of 23. Now growing 50-60% year over year on average, earning half a million US dollars per month or 6 million a year. In the field of remote work, trust is an important factor to create a healthy culture inside his business. For example, not using any monitoring tools that record screens. Victor said, "I think people appreciate it if you put your trust in them … because when people feel unsafe, they can't perform." This Cast Covers: Victor starting out as a freelance web designer. When and why he started his company, Trustshoring. Outsourcing for talent capable of taking on the job. How Victor funded Trustshoring. Fast decision-making. Providing clarity to your people, helping them make better decisions on their own. Positive effect of putting trust in your people. Learning through different business coaches. Keeping it together, is the hardest thing in growing a small business. Building an audience for your business. Links: Victor's Linkedin Victor's Company Website Victor's Twitter Additional Resources: The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts by Annie Duke Quotes: "When you run your own company, you obviously see who's a great fit for you." — Victor Purolnik. "For me, that sort of success is when I can, … when I don't have to ask permission when I can sustain myself." — Victor Purolnik. "Fast decision-making, having to make decisions on the spot about what to do and not regretting them later." — Victor Purolnik. "Trust … people appreciate it if you put your trust in them." — Victor Purolnik. "When people feel unsafe, they can't perform." — Victor Purolnik.

In this episode, Troy interviews Joe Rockey, he's involved with multiple real estate entities as an owner or equity partner. Joe's based in Pittsburgh, United States of America. He graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance from Duquesne University, because he believed every business needs to know how to get money, and financing is one of the ways of doing it. In the middle of some form of economic recession. Joe was a financial advisor at AXA Equitable before diving into the world of real estate. He started flipping houses, earning $3 million at the end of the third year. Shortly after, Joe decided to commit to the rental model; now, handling 40 units, almost on the fly with little to no stress. On day one of starting out; according to Joe, it is critical for a small-medium business owner to have a strong mentality, that you're going to stick with the vision you have in mind. "It's going to work. Just believe in yourself at work." This Cast Covers: Who is Joe Rockey? How Troy and Joe knew each other? Field of business Joe Rockey is present in. The collapse of Lehman Brothers. Joe Rockey's origin story. The concept of house flipping. Taking calculated risks in making expenses. Communicating effectively with people involved in the business. Handling a business with mental endurance. Upsides of believing in yourself. Links: Joe's Linkedin Joe's YouTube Joe's Podcast Additional Resources: Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss Quotes: "You make six cents a can, you make a billion cans, everyone's happy. I'd rather make one can and make a billion off of it." —Joe Rockey "Do not be afraid of expenses. Most people bottle themselves up and ruin their profitability because of fear of expenses." —Joe Rockey "Communication. You got to be able to communicate with people effectively." —Joe Rockey "You're going to deal with a lot of things that are going to tell you, no, I mean, there's just no way around that." —Joe Rockey "Just believe in yourself at work … you need to have confidence and can't be foolhardy." —Joe Rockey

In this week's Quick Fire Friday episode, Rob interviews Jessica Kriegel based in Sacrameto, California, United States. Jessica is a Chief Scientist of Workplace Culture at Culture Partners, leading research and strategy on best practices in workplace culture. Managing a firm without the best participation of your own staff may be challenging; here is where culture can become beneficial and should be addressed. Jessica helps company owners execute their own strategy and purpose for business transformation, such as recognizing the necessary activities, beliefs to apply, and experiences to generate. Jessica has demonstrated via strategy and purpose that having a meaningful and quantifiable culture can add glitter to the business's image and help them obtain the greatest outcomes from the services they provided. She feels that culture is the finest tool we have for shaping our views for a better future. This Cast Covers: Who is Jessica Kriegel Expert in culture and managing people. Leading research and strategy around workplace culture. Helps organizations of all sizes across all verticals across the globe Having a fortune 10 company client. Helping clients in a three-year cultural journey. Understanding the impact of the business in the community. Helping the organization achieve its goals and understand the context in which decisions are getting made. Building a business with a good purpose. Come in with a framework that helps people align culture to their customized strategy. Links: Jessica's Linkedin Additional Resources: Culture Partners Quotes: "If people are blank enough, then culture is usually the answer to that problem." "Everything is driven through purpose and strategy." "Whatever it is you're trying to achieve, all of these things can be accomplished through culture." —Jessica Kriegel "Culture is the experience that we have, that shape our beliefs." —Jessica Kriegel "Understand the needed actions, what beliefs needs to have, and what experiences need to create."

In this episode, I interview Greg Ramsay, the Founder, and CEO of The NZ Whisky Collection based in Hobart, Australia. Greg has set up his own business together with his two business partners to flourish the Whisky industry around the country. With over 10 years of golfing experience and a keen interest in whisky, Greg has decided to build a ready-made whisky business to share its history to people and develop his passion and happiness. The NZ Whisky Collection was established in 2011 and has been running for over 11 years. Growing 67% a year in sales for the first few years with over 3 FTEs. Greg has said that growing a small business requires resilience and thick skin in order to help make more progress in growing a small business. So he says "I couldn't have done anything but the mind businessman I just wouldn't be good in a nine-to-five job, and but a lot of other people you're going into business you've got to resilience." This Cast Covers: He worked in consulting firms like golf, whisky, and tourism projects and businesses for 11 years together with Troy Trewin. Expert in visionary leadership and management. Buying a cashflow-ready whisky product. Reinventing the brands and opening up a lot more sales channels around the world. 10 years of exporting products in 300 stores abroad. Qualified as a single malt master class barman. Got a job with a Golf Management Company and worked in 26 states. Growing 67% a year in sales for the first few years. Got 360 fabulous investors that joined along the journey of building a distillery. Flourishing the Whisky industry around the country. Links: Greg's Linkedin Greg' Facebook Additional Resources: The NZ Whisky Collection The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Quotes: "Success is a sense of peace and harmony." —Greg Ramsay "Don't get too fussy with money coming inside the door but get fussy when you're putting it out." —Greg Ramsay "You can never control your income, you can just do your best at it." —Greg Ramsay "Put the right people behind visions to avoid misconceptions. —Greg Ramsay "Make sure that everything is visible around and you don't lock yourself away." —Greg Ramsay

In this GASB Podcast episode, Troy interviews George Liu, founder of Gym Pillars, he's based in Los Angeles, United States of America, but he was born in Japan and raised in China. Then moving to the U.S. at the age of 10. Growing up George had a hard time looking at himself in the mirror, he had issues with his self-esteem. That's what led him to design – Health Marketing Entrepreneurship, his college major. The concept of fitness, self-improvement, and disciple was heavily embedded in George's mind, he bravely started his company bootstrapped; Gym Pillars, empowering gym owners and changing lives through health and fitness. Although he was temporarily hindered by the impact of the pandemic, it didn't stop him. Making a comeback in April of 2022, hitting the $100,000-a-month mark. In George's fast business growth journey, he recommends "double down and build a strong foundation and focus on word of mouth." Because of the power of word of mouth or in simple words, referrals; It functions with or without you putting effort into it, giving you sales without chasing the new shiny customer, a powerful marketing feature that most small-medium business owners neglect. This Cast Covers: George's different life experiences that led him to fitness. Starting Gym Pillars and how it makes money. Ikigai, Japanese for a reason of being. Building a strong foundation and focusing on the power of word of mouth. Overcoming the frustration of learning to do something for the first time. Marketing the product is the most important in business. Focusing on one thing and one thing only. Fulfilling your end of the terms when hiring a person. Having a clear understanding of whom you're hiring. The vitality of a leader's self-awareness. Links: George's Linkedin George's Facebook George's Website Additional Resources: DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online by Russell Brunson Quotes: "What success means is this … doing what you love, what you're good at, what you can get paid for, and also doing something that you believe the world needs." — George Liu. "Double down and build a strong foundation and focus on word of mouth." — George Liu. "Learning how to do something for the first time, … the frustration that came along with it, it was extremely painful." — George Liu. "You need to nail down the product you needed to develop. You need to build better results, and you have to show people how much you care." — George Liu. "The business is a reflection of you, for you to assume ownership and be willing to look in the mirror. That's one of the most effective ways for you to grow your business." — George Liu. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0