Grow A Small Business Podcast

For this week's episode, Michael interviews Tom McMeekin. He's a financier, debt adviser, coach & strategist, and Tom is based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Tom gets what it takes to be a banker, his experience and certifications will vouch for his reputation. In the past 25 years, Tom specialized in assisting small-medium business owners, specifically in working capital and debt funding. Tom focuses on the mastery of cash flow, that before business owners will embark on a change, they have to make sure that the cash flow is sufficient. The reason things don't usually go as planned and that there hasn't been a project that didn't have complications. However, with a cash flow plan paired with clever leverage of debt you can "plan for the worst but expect the best." This Cast Covers: Generating capital through debt funding. Understanding cash requirements for each business goal. Seeing business as a team sport. Outsourcing a particular problem if you're not equipped for it. Keeping in mind capitalization whilst making growth objectives. Generating income from the debt made. Not forgetting the last thing, which is taxes. Monitoring the balance sheet. Mastery of cash flow. Links: Tom's Linkedin Tom's University of Tasmania Profile Additional Resources: Raising Money: Get the Money You Need To Grow Your Business by Andrew J. Sherman Quotes: "Quite often people will come up with a good idea or have some ideas that they're trying to execute, but not understand the cash requirements for each one." — Tom McMeekin. "If you don't have the skill, it's not a particular problem, you need to outsource it." — Tom McMeekin. "Spending time building out those forecasts with the right people on your team, I think is critical." — Tom McMeekin. "You can plan for the worst but expect the best." — Tom McMeekin. "If you're leveraging to generate income, who cares how much debt you've got." — Tom McMeekin. 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, Troy had a chat with David Ridden the Founder, and CEO of Granddad Jack's Craft Distillery based in Gold Coast, Australia. David has set up his family business to operate a distillery creating craft spirits & liqueurs for the world to enjoy. From owning an outdoor events business, David has decided to transfer to a different industry to pay homage to the legend that was Granddad Jack. Granddad Jack's Craft Distillery was established in 2017 and has been running for just over 4 years. Became one of Australia's most awarded & recommended artisan producers with over 17 FTEs. David has said that growing a small business requires sacrifice and focusing on your priority. So he says, "There ain't no days off. And you think about it all the time you wake up in the night thinking about it." This Cast Covers: A super premium spirits manufacturer with a very unique model direct to the consumer model. Focused on the super-premium end of the market. Exporting products in Norway, North America, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand. Making a range of four different gins, vodka, coffee, secure whiskey, and all types of whiskey rise. Had Australia's two biggest mobile bars and customers with bigger brands. Build his company to share his grandfather's inspiring life story. Worked for himself for 30 years now. Trained and opened their first distillery 8 months after entering the industry. Good at planning by getting the very tunnel visioned on people and the systems around. Ended up raising 786,000 dollars with 330 people. Links: David's Linkedin David's Facebook David's Instagram Additional Resources: Granddad Jacks Quotes: "You have to understand the goal of your business." —David Ridden "You have to have the right partners if you plan international games." —David Ridden "The great thing about having a privately owned business is that we can change tomorrow." —David Ridden "If it's not working where you want it to be, keep changing and you'll find exactly what you need to do." —David Ridden "You have to be prepared not to know everything." —David Ridden 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 Per Sjofors the Founder, and CEO of Sjofors & Partners, Inc. based in Los Angeles, United States. Per has set up his business to provide predictive pricing strategies that increase revenue and growth. With over 23 years of experience in running a business, Per has decided to change his career and apply his knowledge in pricing by creating his own pricing consultant firm. Sjöfors & Partners, Inc. was established in 2007 and has been running for over 15 years with 5 FTEs. Per has said that growing a small business requires a passion for what you do to become successful in managing your business. So he says, "Entrepreneurs need to be passionate about what they're doing." This Cast Covers: Predict sales volume, revenue, and profits at different prices with great accuracy. Willingness to pay for research. Expert in setting prices in a way you don't leave money on the table. Running companies in Europe and in the US and doing experiments with pricing. Developed a European-wide business and grew about 6 million in 3 and a half years. Part of different network organizations. Learning more about price imaging/price anchoring. Learning how to become a tough and smart leader. Helping entrepreneurs explore the art of pricing and fast marketing. Wrote a book called "The Price Whisperer" to approach pricing power. Links: Per's Linkedin Per's Facebook Per'sinstagram Additional Resources: Sjofors The Price Whisperer by Per Sjofors Crossing Chasm by Geoffrey Moore Quotes: "The price itself sets an expectation of the value of quality." —Per Sjofors "You can't leave things for and just hope they do themselves they don't." —Per Sjofors "Always try to hire people that are smarter than you." —Per Sjofors "If you run a company and certain team knows the simple calculation, a lot is going to change in the company." —Per Sjofors "If you don't have passion for what you do, you're not going to succeed." —Per Sjofors Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

For this week's episode, Michael interviews Steve Brossman, based in Sydney, Australia. He's a Multi Best Selling Author, International Speaker, and an Innovative Sales Enablement Strategist. He is a firm believer in the notion that it is better to be different than better, cheaper, or faster. Steve assists small-medium business owners through his coaching, books, and talks. He is providing strategies for business owners to get picked from the metaphorical shelf, putting a different spin on things, and seeing themselves not from an internal perspective but a customer's perspective, all in all, overcoming the Brown Box Syndrome. "If you just call yourself a coach, a consultant, or an accountant, something is telling your prospective clients that you don't value yourself enough to work on you to be perceived as being different. And that's a big lesson to get started with.", he said. This Cast Covers: Brown Box Syndrome. The betterment of being different. Ways to be different. Putting a different spin on things. Looking from the customer's perspective. 3 P's: Purpose, Process, and Payoff. Getting customers up to the box value. Being efficient in dumping information. The D, Q, and C formulas. Links: Steve's Linkedin Steve's Website Steve's Twitter Additional Resources: Back Pocket Guide by Steve Brossman Quotes: "All they need to do is to be different enough to start the conversation to be the next step." — Steve Brossman. "If you just call yourself a coach, a consultant, or an accountant, something is telling your prospective clients that you don't value yourself enough to work on you to be perceived as being different." — Steve Brossman. "An expert knows something. And authority is known for something." — Steve Brossman. "You don't have to be the best in the world. You just have to be the best in their world." — Steve Brossman. "You give some information and then turn it into a narrative." — Steve Brossman. 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 Gil Bar-Lev the Founder and CEO of HomeRoots, based in New Jersey, United States. Gil has set up his own business to help entrepreneurs make sure to sell their products to the consumer. From working as a software engineer, Gil has decided to run a whole new business to open a new window for improvements and a new door of opportunities in a different industry. HomeRoots was established in 2018 and has been running for over 4 years. Growing from $80,000 in 2018 to multi-million in the present revenues. Gil has mentioned that growing a small business takes patience and perseverance to become great. So he says, "It's patience and it's mainly the mindset that you have to continue, not let the knows that you're going to receive from whoever you're trying to reach out to break you." This Cast Cover: B2B platform for furniture and home decor manufacturers. Making sure that everybody in the US who can sell their products to the consumer will do so the way HomeRoots make money from customers. From being a developer to now more of a business person. Started his first-ever company with a partner in 2005, helping brands sell online. Improve marketing your products by spending money on advertising. Growing into 3.3 million dollars in revenue. Helping entrepreneurs avoid stress by becoming independent in their organization. Learning how to improve and grow your B2B and B2C through multiple solutions. Expanding business by getting exposed to very interesting people and building up your networks. Positive mindsets can help cope with difficulties that are hard to handle. Links: Gil's Linkedin Gil's Facebook Additional Resources: HomeRoots The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Quotes: "Success is when you see how your life gets into a certain balance." —Gil Bar-Lev "You have to think twice whether your product is a product that customers are interested in." —Gil Bar-Lev "Be there to serve your team members, not just to drop down commands." —Gil Bar-Lev "Cultivate the mindset that you got to continue, and you've got to find a way to move on." —Gil Bar-Lev "The more you face bigger challenges, the more you should keep going." —Gil Bar-Lev 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 Jeff Williams the Founder and CEO of Barcats based in Sydney, Australia. Jeff has set up his own business to help staff and venues connect with new opportunities. With over 20 years of experience in corporate life, Jeff has decided to sat down and came up with different ideas to build his own business. Barcats was established in 2017 and has been running for over 5 years. Became one of the fastest growing hospitality networks across Australia and New Zealand with over 65 FTEs. Jeff as said that growing a small business requires resilience and sort of bloody-mindedness. So he says, "Have confidence in your idea, but then go and execute it. Don't leave it up to somebody else. This Cast Covers: With over 20 years of experience in corporate life. Helping venue and staff connect with new opportunities. Bringing parties together with a vision of making hospitality better. Supporting stadiums and doing hundreds of people at a time. Managing their staffs with a system called "triangle". Launched business in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and UK. With major sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Airbnb, Campari, Wine in Mackay, and Nestle in UK. Learning how to grow your business consistently through execution. With good group of investors and big corporate certain line officers. Learning how to overcome the biggest challenge in recruiting. Links: Jeff's LinkedIn Additional Resources: Barcats The Habits Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Quotes: "Taking many opportunities is easier to find within the wider industry." —Jeff Williams "You must ensure that you can build and grow with your people." —Jeff Williams "You've got to get out of you chair and away from your desk to execute." —Jeff Williams "Learn to be part of the solution not the problem itself." —Jeff Williams "Resilience and bloody-mindedness are the key to grow through opportunities." 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 episode of QFF, Rob Cameron interviews Eve Nelson, based in Tasmania, Australia. Eve Nelson is an HR specialist, an Industrial Relations Consultant, and a Managing Director at HRTAS. Surely a veteran in navigating the complex world of employee and industrial relations, and Fair Work legislation. Eve aids small-medium business owners by teaching them ways how to maintain a solid consistent staff. Deliberating the importance of retaining good team members, and understanding why it's hard doing it, however, blending it with solutions by the utilization of conversations. This Cast Covers: Eve Nelson, an HR specialist. HR support. The difficulty of retaining good team members. Employers not fully understanding the need of their staff. The competition around keeping talent. Five things that business owners should do, to improve retention of their staff. Employers asking what their staff needs. Employers conversing with employees on a consistent basis. Utilization of the talent of the staff. Links: Eve's Linkedin Eve's Business Blindspots Profile Eve's Twitter Additional Resources: Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye Quotes: "One of the biggest issues with staff retention is employers not understanding what their staff needs." — Eve Nelson. "Have a conversation with the employee about where they're at in their life… And ask the question point blank, what is it that motivates you?" — Eve Nelson. "Consult with your staff, consult with the ones doing the job on a day to day basis, on how they think things may be done better or differently." — Eve Nelson. "One thing I think a lot of businesses, be it small, medium, or large overlook what talents they've already got in the business." — Eve Nelson. "If your staff are happy, they're going to be more productive." — Eve Nelson. 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 Charles Read the President, and CEO of Get Payroll based in Dallas Texas, United States. Charles has set up his own business to provide easy-to-use professional payroll services at competitive prices to businesses nationwide. With over 30 years of experience in payroll services, Charles has decided to build his own business to pursue bigger opportunities. Get Payroll was established in 2014 and has been running for over 8 years. Became the first payroll company to offer crypto payroll with over a million dollars in annual revenue, 1000 clients, and 12 FTEs. Charles has said that growing a small business requires cultivating leadership in order to understand how to hire, supervise and motivate people. So he says, "You need to be organized in your responsibilities because you can't do everything yourself." This Cast Covers: Providing payroll services for small and medium-sized businesses across the United States The most significant unique selling proposition is compliance. An employment tax expert, US Tax Court practitioner, and CPA and chartered accountant. Bringing a level of compliance that competitors just don't bring. Learning how to grow by hiring expertise. With over a million dollars in annual revenue and over 1000 clients. From 15 years in corporate, now growing his own business for over 31 years. Learning how to grow your business by having a job. Helping entrepreneurs understand the importance of cultivating leadership. Advice to start and grow a small business consistently. Links: Charles Linkedin Charles Twitter Additional Resources: Get Payroll The E-Myth Revisited Small Businesses by Michael Gerber Quotes: "Success is being happy and content and enjoying what you do." —Charles Read "You have to learn to work on your business." —Charles Read "The real change an entrepreneur has to make is going from having a job." —Charles Read "You need to understand how to hire, supervise, and motivate people because you can't do it yourself." —Charles Read "Know your culture, understand what you do and what you want from people." —Charles Read 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, Troy had a chat with Shane Mahoney the Founder, and CEO of Lugos Travel based in Florida, United States. Shane has set up his own business to help people and entrepreneurs have amazing, great vacations with zero-stress planning. From spending 12 years in sales and finance jobs, Shane has decided to discover and build a business with his own interest to grow a marketable business. Lugos Travel was established in 2011 and has been running for over 11 years. Growing with over 92% revenue for six months back in 2019 and with 7 FTEs. Shane has said that growing a small business requires reading and watching helpful books and movies related to your industry and career. So he says, "There's always something cool to watch on Netflix. I'm something sometimes you just have to realize that while that option exists, it's not necessarily the best one for you." This Cast Covers: Curated travel packages that highlight the best of the best. Sending families, couples, and families on private adventures and 66 tours in 18 countries. Has three separate verticals that help people and entrepreneurs experience a meaningful trip. Spent 12 years in sales and finance jobs. Helping people have amazing, great vacations with zero-stress planning. Focusing on being able to be the experts and stay expert for life. Hiring people in the industry not to solve problems, but to find solutions. Helping entrepreneurs grow by joining a good mastermind. With over 92% of revenue in six months back in 2019. Learning the advantage of building a business within your own passion and interest. Links: Shane's Linkedin Shane's Facebook Shane's Instagram Additional Resources: Lugos Travel The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks Principles by Ray Dalio Quotes: "When you put out a good intention to follow a path, there will be signs that you should chase away from that path." —Shane Mahoney "Focus on being able to be the experts so that you can stay the experts in your life." —Shane Mahoney "Don't look for people in your industry to just solve the problem, but to find what is the best solution." —Shane Mahoney "Success is being able to walk into a Porsche dealership and pay cash." —Shane Mahoney "It's not a lack of information that people have, it's a lack of time to be able to put things in place." —Shane Mahoney 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, Rob Cameron interviews Bob Moesta, based in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, USA. For more than 40 years, Bob has been inventing and creating things. He has worked with legends such as W. Edwards Deming, Dr. Genichi Taguchi, and Prof. Clayton Christensen, Jason Fried & Ryan Singer. Bob assists small-medium business owners by helping them help their customers make progress, the main priority in one of his books. Bob expounds on the fact that customers buy a product for a reason, and it's the business owner's job to look for it. Look for the problems that customers are experiencing. This Cast Covers: Bob Moesta's innovations. Everything happens for a reason. Helping employees find the work that they want. Supply-side value and Demand-side value. Finding the frictional factors. Understanding who your customers are. Utilization of the Pareto principle. The five W's and two H's. Finding the solution to the customer's problem. Helping customers make progress. Links: Bob's LinkedIn Bob's Twitter Additional Resources Demand-Side Sales 101: Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Make Progress by Bob Moesta Quotes: "Deming would always say nothing is random, everything is caused we're just not smart enough to know all the causes." — Bob Moesta. "They don't randomly leave; they leave for a reason." — Bob Moesta. "I'm trying to find the frictional factors that are holding them back from moving." — Bob Moesta. "By talking to people who bought my product, and understanding what context they were in, what outcomes they wanted, …, helps me understand how to go find other people like them." — Bob Moesta. "What you have to do is you have to figure out what problem they have. And how do you build something to solve their problem? That's the most important thing." — Bob Moesta. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0