Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode, I interview Nick Prokopiec, the Chief Executive Officer of Season Buck, a Tasmanian Recruitment and HR Consulting Firm, that has been around in the Tassie market for just over 34 years now. For many years, we're very attractive as a state to see change and make changes. But we're now starting to see housing availability and affordability be a real challenge even coming from the mainland, including the retention piece for employers. Nick has said that if you don't allocate the time and take it seriously, often it turns to custard. So he says, "allocating time is probably the key for a small business." This Cast Covers: Tasmanian Recruitment and HR Consulting Firm. Operate throughout the state of Hobart, Devonport, and Burnie. Employing 300 and up to 350 people a week. Running a privately owned business. Learning how to attract people to your business. Providing key solutions on how to solve the problem of having a lack of employees. Helping people on how to become a perfect fit for a job. Learning how to assess people's motivations for wanting to take on a job. Additional Resources: SearsonBuck Quotes: "If you don't allocate the time and take it seriously, often it turns to custard." —Nick Prokopiec "A small employer needs to learn the art of reviewing a CV." —Nick Prokopiec "It's not about the qualifications as much anymore, it's about the transferrable skills." —Nick Prokopiec "Make sure that individual has the right motivations for the role." —Nick Prokopiec "You need to understand whether or not someone is going to lifestyle motivation." —Nick Prokopiec 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, Anne Gigney the Founder and Co-Director of The Distillers Institute based in Hobart, Australia. Anne has set up her own business to help entrepreneurs plan, start and grow a distillery. From creating a Whisky Academy, Anne has decided to create an online business course to pursue bigger opportunities. The Distillers Institute was established in 2019 and has been running for over 3 years. Became Australian's first and only online distilling business course, with over $200k in revenue and 5 FTEs. Anne has said that growing a small business requires developing discipline around thinking, time commitment, and processes. So she says, "People in this industry need to find time for themselves as well." This Cast Covers: Australia's only online distilling business course. Launching a more advanced course for people that want to grow and export. Having some 4 special activities operating all-together. Helping entrepreneurs grow a fast-growing business through advanced thinking and getting good help. Working with Troy Trewin for several years. Learning how to run a business without spending too much money. Help bring people to the business. Adding value to the content, quality, and user journey of your work for a better result. Helping entrepreneurs learn how to put dreams into action. Created by industry experts with over 40 years of combined experience. Additional Resources: The Distillers Institute Good to Great by Jim Collins Quotes: "Success means how the business makes you feel." —Anne Gigney "Focusing on the quality of your product can help you make things work out." —Anne Gigney "Never stop wanting to make things better." —Anne Gigney "Find time for yourself." —Anne Gigney "Make sure you get good people around you that compliment you, and who have different skills." —Anne Gigney 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 AJ Aluthwala the Co-Founder and CEO of KallistoArt Online Marketing based in Tampa Bay, Florida, United States. AJ has set up his own online advertising company to help entrepreneurs and companies create Award Winning Mobile Apps. From creating a website back in college, AJ has decided to pursue growing his small business to receive bigger opportunities. KallistroArt was established in 2006 and has been running for 16 years. Growing with creative and collaborative professionals with estimated $3 million revenue for this year 2022 and 30 FTEs. AJ has said that growing a small business requires persistence and learning through reading books. So he says, "The real learning started when I started listening to books and start started reading books." This Cast Covers: A digital experience creator, an online marketing business. Started as just a website development company back in 2006. Growing 30% year by year and hitting a million dollars in revenue. Helping ​​Entrepreneurs and Companies create Award-Winning Mobile Apps. Websites, web apps, and mobile apps were the main product. Learning how to improve your marketing through working on Google My Business Profile. In the process of launching another business similar to KallistoArt called apti code. Learning how to become persistent to keep the longevity of a small business. Sharing the importance of having good communication in the reputation of your business. Learning how to cultivate relationships for business revenue growth. Additional Resources: KallistoArt Think Grow Rich Napoleon Hill The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone Quotes: "The ability to know that something is going wrong is more important than knowing how to fix it." —AJ Aluthwala "Success means ultimate freedom." —AJ Aluthwala "It's a matter of someone getting to know you, to like you, and to trust you." —AJ Aluthwala "If you are not persistent, and if you give up easily, you're not going to survive as a business owner." —AJ Aluthwala "Make decisions based on numbers, and not on emotion." —AJ Aluthwala 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 had an interview with Michael Denehey about surviving tough times in growing a small business. Some real challenges, supply chains, and certain skills shortages that business owners need to prepare for in the future. This Cast Covers: Learning how to survive tough times. Talking about the challenges ahead continually with business owners. 9 steps that can help every business. Learn the importance of creating a game plan and a business plan. Helping entrepreneurs how to become good communicators. Learning how to become more strategic. Measuring key numbers in business. Make sure businesses have a dashboard of metrics around. Learning how to review your financial facilities. Quotes: "Businesses can take steps to survive." —Michael Denehey "Make sure you've got a game plan and a business plan." —Michael Denehey "Riches are in the niches." —Michael Denehey "Always communicate with your team." —Michael Denehey "Just be more strategic." —Michael Denehey 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 Andy Cabasso the Founder of Postaga, based in New York. Andy has set up his own business to help people with cold email outreach. From running a digital agency, Andy has decided to sell his former business successfully to pursue new opportunities. Postaga was established in 2019 and has been running for over 3 years. Became the #1 product of the day on Product Hunt with over 20,000 users, and 9 FTEs. Andy has said that growing a small business requires discipline, however, he also said that taking control is not that easy. So he says, "There are a lot of shiny objects that always come about, so take discipline to avoid being distracted." This Cast Covers: Running a platform that helps people with cold email outreach. Helping people in sales, lead generation, doing digital PR, and also people in the digital marketing space. Learning how to overcome difficulties by focusing on the things that can be controlled. Creating a platform that helps from prospecting to finding the right people finding their contact details, and then pitching and following up. Providing a search engine related to finding podcasts, sales leads, link-building resources, etc. Used to run a digital agency and exit successfully. Helping entrepreneurs see the business from a bigger picture to make it work and grow. Learning how to be disciplined in operating the business. Learning how to help the business grow rather than being mired in the day-to-day. Completely a remote company. From having 1000 to over 20,000 users now in just 3 years. Additional Resources: Postaga Influence by Robert Cialdini Quotes: "Success is either a successful exit or an autopilot." —Andy Cabasso "Having a good discipline about the business is one of the most helpful things." —Andy Cabasso "Choose an industry that you know very well." —Andy Cabasso "You shouldn't be doing everything yourself." —Andy Cabasso "There are so many things that are out of your control, despite how much effort and time you put into it." —Andy Cabasso 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 Torrin Minutillo, the Founder, and CEO of Attergy Coaching Service based in Perth, Western Australia. Torrin has set up his own business to help entrepreneurs and business leaders through personal leadership. With over 33 years of experience as a business leader, Torrin has decided to pursue bigger opportunities. Attergy was established in 2018 and has been running for 4 years. Torrin has said that growing a small business requires self-awareness. So he says, "Self-awareness is the number one skill in business. When you need to understand yourself internally your external results exponentially grow quicker." This Cast Covers: Building a business coaching business, particularly focused on business owners. Expert in human behavior. Help business leaders through personal leadership. Helping entrepreneurs focus their time and energy as the business grows. Understanding how to lead yourself before you can start thinking about leading a team. Coaching one on one and doing some other different programs. Learning how to help your clients grow. Evolving a world-class ecosystem to support business leaders thriving past their own experiences. Learning how to develop a very narrow focus. Became the most Trusted Mentor in the Inner Game of Success Additional Resources: Attergy Coaching Service The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Quotes: "You need to understand yourself at a deeper level." —Torrin Minutillo "Success is when you align yourself with your soul." —Torrin Minutillo "Be very clear and specific about who it is you're serving." —Torrin Minutillo "When you achieve stability, you'll be able to be more resilient to outside factors." —Torrin Minutillo "Focus on the three things that you can control." —Torrin Minutillo 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 had an Interview with me to talk about my great experience in using a Net Promoter Score in growing a small business. Net Promoter Score is a great tool that can be used in a business to help gauge customer loyalty. Growing a small business requires monitoring your service to your customers and gaining their trust. So I say, "NPS is an important metric to make sure that our customers are happy." This Cast Covers: A great tool that can be used in a business to help gauge customer loyalty. Running a quarterly anonymous team survey. Measuring teams' satisfaction. Helping entrepreneurs learn more about how NPS works. Learning the benefits of using NPS. Learning how to make your customers happy with your service. Quotes: "See how happy people are at the business and what the cultures like." —Troy Trewin "Measure your team satisfaction." —Troy Trewin "NPS score gives you that overall benchmark as to where you're sitting." —Rob Cameron 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 Justin Clegg the Founder, and CEO of Allset based in Lehi, Utah, United States of America. Justin has set up his own business to serve home service businesses. From Leading product teams at companies like Intel, Adobe, and Oracle, Justin has decided to leave Product Managing to pursue more opportunities. Allset was established in 2020 and has been running for over 2 years with GMV at 1.4 million and 10 FTESs. Justin has said that growing a small business requires consistency and focusing on the highest strategic value and highest strategic leverage going into a workday. So he says, "When running a small business or startup, there is really an infinite list of to-do items and so it becomes ruthless prioritization. This Cast Covers: Having a huge run of success and success stories. Conversational texting platform that serves home service businesses. Contracting companies like plumbing, HVAC, roofing painters, or cleaning companies, so a maid service or a carpet cleaner, etc. Leading product teams at companies like Intel, Adobe, and Oracle. Learning about the importance of hiring and keeping and retaining great employees. Teaching how to keep the customers happy and turning them into repeat customers. Jumping from corporate to early-stage startups in 2016. Giving people an opportunity to build a startup and leave a dent in an ecosystem. Sharing helpful values in running a great business. Focusing on the highest strategic value and highest strategic leverage going into a workday. Additional Resources: Allset How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen Quotes: "Success can be relative, depending on who you are and how you measure that." —Justin Clegg "Listen to your customers." —Justin Clegg "If you spend more time on the things you least enjoy, you'll end up learning the best." —Justin Clegg "All great business starts with great people." —Justin Clegg "Work hard and play hard." Justin Clegg 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 Sunir Shah, the Founder, and CEO of AppBind based in San Francisco, USA. Sunir has set up his own business to help digital consultants and agencies set up clients faster. After working at Microsoft at 18, Sunir decided to leave his former job to pursue more extensive opportunities. AppBind was established in 2018 and has been running for over 4 years. With over 1 million revenue and 5 FTEs. Sunir has said that growing a small business requires self-discipline. So he says, 'Work on the things you need to be better at." This Cast Covers: Helping digital consultants and agencies set up clients faster. Building retainers around systems. Learning how rejections can become a starting point to growing a small business. Buy computers, networking cables, Windows licenses, SDKs build systems. Growing 15% month over month and having 1000 agencies signed after launching. Learning how to make your goals externally in an external market. Worked for Microsoft at the young age of 18. Providing technical solutions to control your time and free your cash flow. Helping entrepreneurs make the best decision in growing a small business. Learning how to become productive in doing your tasks. Additional Resources: AppBind Crossing Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore Quotes: "You should make your client go by their own stuff." —Sunir Shah "Success is not about money, it's about making your service become a helpful tool to help your clients grow." —Sunir Shah "Assume that you don't know anything all the time." —Sunir Shah "If you don't have the discipline of talking to customers every day, you're not going to mark it." —Sunir Shah "You gotta find a way to make it, enjoy it, no matter how painful it is." —Sunir Shah 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, me and my new business partners Michael, a chartered accountant, and Rob Cameron, a business owner shared each other's experiences and lessons in growing a small business throughout the years. Michael and Rob joined the growing a small business podcast to help entrepreneurs learn with convenience how to grow a small business success to a whole new level. With over 60 years of combined experience, worked with over 1000 businesses, owned more than 20 businesses, and had more than 40 business partners, Michael, Rob and I decided to create a short, sharper cast and quick-fire actions business podcast. Michael and Rob have said that growing a small business requires choosing the right team and wise business partners. So they say, "If you don't invest in people around you to support you, you tend to go nowhere very quickly." This Cast Covers: Working as an adviser to small business owners for around 8 years. Advised hundreds of businesses over time. Owned a partial shareholder in 4-5 businesses. Involved with business owners for around 30 years Working with businesses more around strategy, business coaching, and succession planning. Background about Quick Fire Friday weekly podcast. Talking about relevant things for small business owners. Helping entrepreneurs in choosing the right business partners. Learning how to get the best advice for growing a small business. Helping business owners how to manage a business properly. Quotes: "You either win or you learn." —Michael "The most important thing a manager does is recruitment." —Troy Trewin "If you don't invest in people around you to support you, you tend to go nowhere very quickly." —Michael "If your business partners do not reach the standards you need, then start thinking about exiting them." —Troy Trewin "You need to have professionals you can go to get the right advice." —Rob Cameron Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0