Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this GASB Podcast episode, Troy interviews Molly Keyser, a photographer for 16 years, now the Founder of Profitable Courses. Molly's based in New Mexico, United States. Before Profitable Courses she also founded Boudie Shorts, an educational resource for Boudoir Photographers to get more clients. After working in the photo industry as a photographer for 16 years. Molly decided to pivot into the world of digital education. Started Profitable Courses in 2021; helping small-medium business owners create their own digital products, fine-tuning them, marketing them, and getting traffic, in order to generate a nice stream of cash flow. Molly advises that small-medium business owners, need to develop good habits and discipline. In order to focus on one thing at a time. A piece of advice that she also once received. "You need to pick one product to focus on and scale that up to a million at least first.", her mentor said. This Cast Covers: The identity of Molly Keyser. How Troy and Molly knew each other. Transitioning from being a photographer to digital course education. Molly's businesses before Profitable Courses. Molly's business, Profitable Courses. Nothing is completely passive; after product creation, traffic is required. The definition of Shiny Object Syndrome. How Molly gets past a certain revenue mark. The number one thing small-medium business owners should apply. Overall growth of Profitable Courses. Links: Molly's Linkedin Molly's Instagram Molly's Twitter Molly's TikTok Profitable Courses Additional Resources: Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Creating a Mass Movement of People Who Will Pay for Your Advice (1st Edition) by Russell Brunson Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future by Cameron Herold Quotes: "Nothing is 100% passive, you have to traffic and create the products and do the work upfront." — Molly Keyser. "You need to pick one product to focus on and scale that up to a million at least first." — Molly Keyser. "With every failure and everything that goes wrong, you learn." — Molly Keyser. "Assign yourself tasks, so you can get in the habit of it. Because otherwise, you're just not going to get a lot done very quickly." — Molly Keyser. "You need to have that discipline." — Molly Keyser. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

In this episode, I interview Ann Sieg, the Founder, and CEO of E-commerce Business School based in Bentonville, Arkansas in the United States of America. Ann has set up her own business to help entrepreneurs learn how to become third-party sellers on Amazon and become capable leaders. With over 35 years of experience in managing various businesses, Ann has decided to focus on the E-commerce space for Amazon to pursue her passion for coaching and empowering people. E-commerce Business School was established in 2014 and has been running for over 9 years. Helped thousands of people build a massively successful business on Amazon with 25 FTEs. Ann has said that growing a small business requires tracking for entrepreneurs to know the numbers and stay consistent. So she says, "I've always had track and it goes back to my sports world efforts. And it just keeps you where you need to be." This Cast Covers: Currently managing a training and mentorship company. Helping people learn how to become third-party sellers on Amazon. Focused on learning how to set up the automation pieces for the students to have a scalable Amazon business. Teaching online marketing for about eight years. Providing high-level hand-holding experience and is mostly meant to empower people. Running different businesses for over 35 years. Learning the benefits of doing business within the home. Empowering people to do tasks efficiently through working online. Running things smoothly and having them organized. Satisfaction in bringing people together. Links: Ann's Linkedin Ann's Facebook Ann's Twitter Additional Resources: E-Commerce Business School E-Myth-Revisited by Michael Gerber Wellbeing at Work Jim Clifton & Jim Harter Quotes: "Tough times can make you work your fanny, you've got to match underneath your button." —Ann Sieg "As a CEO, you got to go where you got to fix the company and turn it around." —Ann Sieg "Learn more about what you're made of and what you're capable of." —Ann Sieg "You just got to track to know the numbers and stay consistently growing." —Ann Sieg "In business, you're always having problems you're trying to solve, it never ends." —Ann Sieg Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

In this week's QFF episode, Michael interviews Rachael Downie. Rachael and Michael met each other four years ago at a National Australia Bank presentation where Rachael was the guest speaker. Rachael is based in Hobart, Australia. She was a teacher for fifteen years and her husband has run a family dairy farm for the past 20 years and has 4 children. Now she is a business success mentor who is truly converting small business owners' thinking into results. The knowing-doing gap is the disconnect between knowledge and the implementation of the action. In the end, knowledge isn't always enough. She is helping small-medium business owners through various strategies such as shifting mindsets to bridge the gap between what they know they need to be doing and actually doing it. According to Rachael, it all boils down to mindset. "I truly believe closing the knowing-doing gap is about awareness. 95% of its mindset and 5% of its strategy.", she said. She added when small-medium business owners triumph over that, there'll be real changes in productivity, time, and profit. This Cast Covers: Who is Rachael Downie? How Rachael and Michael knew each other. Rachael's livelihood before becoming a successful mentor. The knowing-doing gap. Bridging the knowing-doing gap. Overcoming procrastination. Discussing key factors that cause procrastination. What's holding back small-medium business owners from seeking advice and assistance? How should business owners manage their time. Links: Rachael's Linkedin Rachael's Website Rachel's Instagram Additional Resources: The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action by Jeffrey Pfeffer Quotes: "The knowing-doing gap, 95% of it is mindset and 5% of it is strategy." — Rachael Downie. "This is about working hard, smarter, not harder." — Rachael Downie. "Businesses need to fall back in love with what it was; why they started things in the beginning." — Rachael Downie. "You cannot keep giving from an empty cup like you were to your business, things have to shift and change." — Rachael Downie. "Either do it, delegate it or ditch it." — Rachael Downie. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

In this episode, I interview Sue de Bievre, the founder, and CEO of Beany based in Hawke's Bay, North Island, New Zealand. Sue has set up her own business to help entrepreneurs have quick and efficient accounting services. From working at a corporate chartered accounting job and serving other people, Sue has decided to build her own business to revolutionize her preferred industry completely. Beany was established in 2013 and had been running for over 9 years. Has helped over 4,000 businesses around New Zealand with growth between 35-40% revenue growth for the year 2022 and has 48 FTEs. Sue has said that growing a small business requires persistence in order to become productive in achieving your targets. So she says, "If you say you're going to do something, do it. If somebody says no, you go back again, it's like just not letting go and keeping going." This Cast Covers: Offering online accounting services to small business owners in New Zealand and Australia. Doing traditional accounting through online services at a lower price point. From working at a corporate chartered accounting job to managing her own business. Been in and out of public practice in her whole career. Growing between 35-40% revenue growth for the year 2022. Helped over 4,000 businesses around New Zealand. Uses Zendesk as a sort of Customer Support Platform. A company that has never dropped below 90% client satisfaction. Experienced a painful failure to raise capital for her business. Sharing the positive effect of surrounding ourselves with people who invested in our business. Links: Sue's Linkedin Sue's Twitter Additional Resources: Beany Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Quotes: "Whenever you hit a metric that you've been aiming at, push it down the road, otherwise you get bored." —Sue de Bievre "Sometimes you need to recharge with people who are still invested in your business." —Sue de Bievre "Make sure that you're looking after the people and growing with them and their business." —Sue de Bievre "Do what you say you're going to do." —Sue de Bievre "Keep the core of your being believing your product, service, and your people without being rattled by the negative things." —Sue de Bievre Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Donnie Boivin, the Founder, and CEO of Success Champions based in Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America. Donnie has set up a company to provide training and education in building the business toward success. From working as a straight-commission sales guy, Donnie has decided to run his own networking business to improve his expertise in the field of sales. Success Champions was established in 2017 and has been running for over 5 years. Growing from $67,000 to $800,000 in the present revenues. Donnie mentioned something about being an expert sales guy first before you can build a business of your own. So he said, "Go learn sales, figure out sales and learn how to do the sales side of things you'll eventually be able to bring on somebody who's going to outperform you. But you can't build a business if you can't sell." This Cast Covers: Provide a ton of training and an avenue for the entrepreneurs to network. Became number 22 in the world of podcasting. Growing into 800 thousand dollars in revenue. Had to postpone the Badass Business Summit due to COVID. Became a catalyst when he shows up his true self which allowed the clients and people to do the same. Run a full working farm on top of his business. He's been given feedback over the years on the podcast about his swearing. Almost lost their family's farm in his early year in business. Diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 45. Learning how to manage priorities. Links: Donnie's Linkedin Donnie's Facebook Donnie's Instagram Additional Resources: Success Champions Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill Quotes: "You can pretty much be anywhere you want to be and still run your business." —Donnie Boivin "Success is watching others succeed." —Donnie Boivin "The best way to truly meet yourself is to build a business." —Donnie Boivin "If you can't sell, you're never going to create a successful sales team because you can't teach them how to be successful." —Donnie Boivin "Your first few hires, don't hire for an entire thing, hire for one particular task you need to be done, and hire specifically for that. " —Donnie Boivin Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this week's Quick Fire Friday episode, Michael interviews Keryn Nylander, a Strategic Communications, Media, Brand, and Public Relations Specialist, and Principal of Nylander Consulting. She's based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Keryn is a former journalist that covered print and electronic media until she decided to transfer to the field of public relations. Now she has a consultancy firm that aids her clients' public relations. A business has three vital parts: advertising, marketing, and public relations. Like the other two, public relations is essential in a business and shouldn't be treated as the lesser of the two. Keryn specializes in that field, giving strategic communications to small-medium business owners, refining their Social License, and preparing businesses to withstand any drama when the chips are down. According to Keryn, what she'd recommend small-medium business owners do on Monday is, "You should have a crisis comms plan; what are you going to do? If something doesn't go right?" a risk management strategy to maintain the excellent reputation of your brand. This Cast Covers: Who's Keryn Nylander? The early days of Keryn Nylander's career. How did Michael and Keryn meet? The cruciality of understanding how media works. Three areas that you can use to promote your business. Media training and strategic communications advice. The importance of communicating. Social License is a really powerful tool. Building the values and the culture first. Having foresight of a bad situation. Links: Keryn's Linkedin Keryn's Instagram Additional Resources: Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age (Que Biz-tech) by Gini Dietrich Quotes: "Understanding how the media works are integral to being a good public relations practitioner." — Keryn Nylander. "Well, it'll surprise you how few people understand public relations. And yet, you would say it's the most important." — Keryn Nylander. "Your Social License is people's reputation of you." — Keryn Nylander. "Social License it's so powerful because it can make or break you." — Keryn Nylander. "You should have a crisis comms plan; what are you going to do? If something doesn't go right?" — Keryn Nylander. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this week's GASB Podcast episode, Troy interviews Fred Cary, based in San Diego, California, United States. Fred's the CEO of a company called IdeaPros. He has also been involved with a ton of businesses; he was also in a rock band once. Fred started several companies before founding IdeaPros. Fred was always destined to be an entrepreneur; he started at the age of 17 by offering services 24/7 to now, 50 years later, with no plan of retiring. Some of the companies Fred started were BoxLot, Azure, Path1, Imagine Communications, Home Bistro and IdeaPros, a company that helps fellow entrepreneurs with anything and everything they need in their journey. Ideapros has generated over $30 million in revenue in the past few years, with an EBITDA of 25%. According to Fred, in growing a small business, what he loves most is the sense of innovation. The process of creating something or doing something that nobody else has done is incredible. He said, "Sometimes you have to change course; sometimes you have to do so drastically and violently." This Cast Covers: How Troy and Fred knew each other. Fred Cary's early days of entrepreneurship. Fred's variety of businesses. How difficult it is to start a company. The meaning of success as defined by the interviewee. Being mindful of your competitors. Resolving negative feedback to improve the company. Fred's passion for innovation. Being critically honest and transparent. Links: Fred's Linkedin Fred's Website Fred's Instagram Fred's Facebook Ideapros Additional Resources: The Prophet by Khalil Gibran Quotes: "Sometimes you have to change course; sometimes you have to do so drastically and violently." — Fred Cary. "Just because you have a great idea doesn't mean the world's ready for it." — Fred Cary. "They say you spend the first half of your career building up your resume and the second half building up your eulogy." — Fred Cary. "Look behind you. Look at your competitors." — Fred Cary. "The greatest work that you're going to need to do is in the marketing area … It is the lifeblood of your organization." — Fred Cary. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Rene Zamora, the Founder of Sales Manager Now based in Auburn, California, United States. Rene, a sales manager expert, has been assisting small business owners in managing their sales for almost two decades. From working in a corporate job as a consultant, Rene has decided to establish his own company to offer sales management consulting services. Sales Manager Now was founded in 2006 and has been running for over 16 years. Growing with over 4 consultants and has already managed 31 clients with an average tenure of 32.32 months. Rene mentioned being clear as the key to marketing a fast-growing business. So he added, "Take some time, step back, and don't just jump on the first person that comes along telling you what to do." This Cast Covers: Managing small business sales teams on a month-to-month basis. The great advantage of choosing to have a part-time sales manager rather than full-time. Successfully managed 31 clients already. Set up his own company, Sales Manager Now at the age of 47. First started with the high-performance team and leadership training. Jumped from a corporate job to start his first-ever business. The struggles he faced as a consultant. The importance of perseverance and patience in getting through the business. Growing his consultants into 4 including himself that manage 3 to 7 clients each. Learning to become clear and aware of their business growth. Links: Rene's Linkedin Additional Resources: Sales Manager Now Traction by Gino Whitman Quotes: "Every business is a little different out there." —Rene Zamora "Don't fire your clients too early because sometimes it's not about them." —Rene Zamora "There are times when someone just needs to make a decision with or without collaboration to find the right balance that keeps people." —Rene Zamora "If you think you're doing something good, and it's worthy, and there's a market for it, don't give up." —Rene Zamora "Don't skimp on your electronics, so if you know to get the right computer, you need to get the right apps you need. " —Rene Zamora Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this week's Quick Fire Friday episode, Rob interviews Jason K Williamson. Jason's an e-commerce expert, he has generated north of 130 million USD for brands all over the world. He's based in Greater Adelaide Area, Australia. Jason believes that his job is to help collect more interested people. Marketing will be collecting the leads, sales will be selling to them. It's the yin and yang in e-commerce. Jason has developed principles and concepts that helped him to be the expert he is now. Such as the Trojan Horse Method, the Mafia Offer, and Recency and Frequency. Through hard work and patience in collecting data, frequently sending appealing emails and offers, Jason has mastered taking somebody who doesn't know who they are, then enticing them with the products and services that they offer. For he believes that his job is to help collect more interested people. This Cast Covers: Who is Jason K Williamson? Marketing in Email, and SMS. Jason's history and success in email, and SMS marketing. Different types of work Jason did outside of e-commerce. Key questions in e-commerce. Marketing will be collecting leads and sales is selling to them. 3 principles Jason uses in e-commerce. Concepts such as the Trojan Horse Method and the Mafia Offer. Things business owners should take away from the podcast. Links: Jason's LinkedIn Jason's Instagram Jason's Website Additional Resources: The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman Quotes: "Marketing will be collecting the leads, and the sales will be like, selling to them." — Jason K Williamson. "My biggest goal is how can I take somebody who doesn't know who we are? Entice them with something." — Jason K Williamson. "Identify where exactly are you capturing leads." — Jason K Williamson. "Start collecting doesn't matter where you are or what you do, just start collecting more leads." — Jason K Williamson. "I always offer the best stuff up front.." — Jason K Williamson. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Dan Lancaster, owner of Dana Eating House based in Hobart, Australia. Dan together with his brother as co-owner has set up their own business to offer good food, booze and company. With over 12 years of experience working in different job positions in the same business industry, Dan decided to establish his own restaurant which he's been manifesting for a long time ago. Dana Eating House was established in 2020 and has been running for 2 years and counting. Growing his business with over $2.3 million mark in revenue and 11 FTEs. Dan has mentioned that communication and honesty are the habits that small businesses need to maintain. To further explain this, he added, "If you can't be honest with yourself and your team around you, and have difficult conversations and communicate effectively. To be honest, I think you'd have been in a bit of trouble making hard decisions." This Cast Covers: Dana itself is Sanskrit which means the act of cultivating generosity. Started his business during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. A kind of high-capacity restaurant that provides food, booze, and company. Dana Eating House was his first owned business. Was able to fund their business through borrowing from his family members and a loan from the government. Dropped down the full-time equivalents to give an opportunity for staff to shine. Earned $2.3 million in revenue over their first year in business. Left school when he was 17 years old and jumped into hospitality. Manifesting restaurant ever since he was 18 years old. A good bookkeeper is vital to see the business grow. Links: Dan's Instagram Additional Resources: Dana Eating House E-Myth by Michael Gerber Quotes: "Surround yourself with people that are like-minded." —Dan Lancaster "Don't hire friends or people that are too close because it could create certain difficult areas in managing things." —Dan Lancaster "It's going to be hard but you're going to have probably the best time of your life." —Dan Lancaster "You got to spend money to make money." —Dan Lancaster "There are a lot of amazing things you can do in this industry." —Dan Lancaster Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0