Grow A Small Business Podcast
Troy Trewin
Our weekly 30 minute podcast helps you, a small business owner with 5 to 30 team members, take your company to the next level. The Grow A Small Business community, weekly cast, blog and leadership email supports leaders get through the pain of growth.
With insights, lessons learned, books and tools as well as habits these experienced small business owners suggest you develop, our interviews unearth tremendous value for anyone wanting to grow their business with less stress.
With insights, lessons learned, books and tools as well as habits these experienced small business owners suggest you develop, our interviews unearth tremendous value for anyone wanting to grow their business with less stress.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 6, 2022 • 1h 16min
From a wedding officiator, now a seasoned businessman, coach, entrepreneur, & all-around LinkedIn expert of a great Masterclass. Received several awards for revenue over $1M from a single funnel, with over 10 FTEs. (Tyron Giuliani)
In this episode, I interview Tyron Giuliani, a seasoned businessman, coach, entrepreneur, and all-around LinkedIn expert from Selling Made Social based in Tokyo, Japan. Tyron has set up his own business and coaching career to help professionals how to transform their LinkedIn from a non-performing resume to a client-facing, lead generation tool. From a young wedding officiator, Tyron decided to pursue new opportunities in a foreign rich country, influencing his own Australian culture. Selling Made Social was established in 2020 and has been running for over 2 years. Became the ClickFunnels, Two Comma Club award for revenue over $1,000,000 from a single funnel with over 10 FTEs. Tyron said that growing a business requires continuous learning from the experts and making wise decisions. So he says, "Success comes from making fewer mistakes, so be wise to make it more right."This Cast Covers: Helping entrepreneurs how to start a business in a foreign country with zero experience and connections. Learning how to supply many different stores abroad. Sharing how business coaching could help entrepreneurs deal with sales regardless of the competition in the industry. Teaching on how to be smarter in handling a business. Teaching how to find happiness through coaching and giving helpful opinions for business. Providing profitable strategies for business and efficient workflow. Expert in providing the best quality wedding gowns at a good price. Organizing 40 weddings every month. Creating software and existent services in the business industry. Giving tips on how to manage your people. Additional Resources: Selling Made Social The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham Pre Suasion by Robert Cialdini TIG Dress ___________________ Quotes: "Give a lot of responsibility to your staff but don't forget to reward them the way they deserve." —Tyron Giuliani "Success means giving opportunities to your staff to do what they love and making them feel appreciated." —Tyron Giuliani "Getting partners, doing the heavy lifting for you, and leveraging their audience is the best way to start growing your business." —Tyron Giuliani "Sometimes you have to pay attention to your people because some mistakes are a result of your own choice." —Tyron Giuliani "Success comes from making fewer mistakes, so be wise to make it more right." —Tyron Giuliani___________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Apr 3, 2022 • 48min
From being a restaurateur, now helping businesses & professionals become more profitable and successful through digital marketing. Receiving multiple Best of Marketing Services Awards with over 5 million range and 11 FTEs. (Gordon Van Wechel)
In this episode, I interview Gordon Van Wechel, Founder, CEO and President of The Alchemy Consulting Group, based near Virginia Beach in the United States of America. Gordon set up his own digital marketing agency to help businesses and professional practices improve their visibility, find their target audience, and become more profitable and successful. With over 25 years of experience in digital marketing, Gordon decided to pursue building his own digital marketing company. The Alchemy Consulting Group was established in 2003 and has been running for over 19 years. Received multiple Best of Marketing Services Awards and now, from 2 to 11 FTEs. Gordon said that growing a business is a one-step at time growth, it doesn't need to rush. So he says, "Rapid growth isn't always the answer."This Cast Covers: Helping smaller companies through ad agency style support. Dealing with a lot of local and small regional companies. Expert in digital advertising agencies. Helping entrepreneurs expand their business through digital marketing. Teaching how to grow a business deliberately to achieve real success. Teaching how to leverage the digital marketing space easily. Helping entrepreneurs how to handle a lot of business using a couple of pieces of software. Learning how to handle team members from different parts of the world. Became an International company in 2010. Helping businesses become more profitable and successful. Additional Sources: The Alchemy Consulting Group The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran _________________ Quotes: "Rapid growth isn't always the answer." —Gordon Van Wechel "Success means having a nice book of clients, a strong team, and making sure that you're doing the right thing." —Gordon Van Wechel "Trying to get a work-life balance is the best way to achieve life satisfaction." —Gordon Van Wechel "Stop assuming that if somebody can't help you, immediately, you throw them aside. You never know when someone's going to be of great value in the future." —Gordon Van Wechel "Focus on one specific objective and get it done." —Gordon Van Wechel _________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Apr 1, 2022 • 32min
With more than 20 years of experience in marketing, now creating a huge gaming platform to help women & femme create content, build community & empower others. With over 25 awards in their first year of launching & 2-10 FTEs. (Rebecca Dixon)
In this episode, I interview Rebecca Dixon, Co-founder and CEO of the*gameHERs based in New York, United States of America. Rebecca, who loves sports, has set up her gaming platform together with her co-founders to support women's empowerment and provide a safe and friendly community for female gamers. With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, marketing, brand partnerships, event planning, building authentic and engaged communities, Rebecca decided to leave and sold her company in 2016 and discover the better and huge opportunities in the world of gaming. The*gameHERs was founded in 2019 and has been running for 2 years with multiple awards and from 2 to 10 FTEs.Rebecca has said that growing a small business requires teamwork and a good relationship with your co-workers. So she says, "If you create a culture where it's a positive environment, and everybody feels like they're valued, which is something I certainly want to do, then it's going to be better for the humans involved and better for the business." The Cast Covers: Amplifying and centering the voices of women and femme-identifying gamers Women Empowerment A sexist-free space for the casual players, the hardcore gamers, the techies, the streamers, the designers, the cosplayers, the developers, and programmers. Provides a safe, inclusive space for collegiate women and femme Identifying humans who game and/or have a desire to work in the gaming industry. Advance the role, voice, image, and power of all the*gameHERs in the gaming world. Networking, Learning, Video Games, and Conferences. Connecting with female gamers from different parts of the world. Marketing applications for gamers. App Developer Additional Resources: The*gameHERs Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss ___________________ Quotes: "Success is certainly the art from a business perspective." –Rebecca Dixon "If you create a culture where it's a positive environment, and everybody feels like they're valued, then it's going to be better for the humans involved and better for the business." –Rebecca Dixon "We add people to our team, our number one strategy is to look within our own community." –Rebecca Dixon"For professional development, what I do is follow certain people in my industry, and even reach out, reach out to them. I consider that professional development too." –Rebecca Dixon"Make sure that you're also thinking and reading and knowing what's going on in my industry, not just my little business, to make sure that what you're growing is what you should be growing." –Rebecca Dixon___________________Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Mar 27, 2022 • 34min
A 27-year-old entrepreneur created his own speedlancer business at the age of 20, now is a founder & CEO of the World's Fastest Freelance Marketplace. With a total funding amount of $435.5K & 20 FTEs serving 209 countries. (Adam Stone)
In this episode, I interview Adam Stone, an entrepreneurial prodigy, CEO and founder of Speedlancer Inc based in LA, United States. Adam has set up his own speedlancer company at the young age of 20 to help startup founders, digital agencies, SMBs, marketers, and enterprises get tasks done quicker than ever before, with outstanding quality. From a young entrepreneur and intern of a startup accelerator, Adam opened his eyes to the whole startup world and started to build his own business. Speedlancer Inc was established in 2015 and has been running for over 7 years. Became the world's fastest freelance marketplace, delivering design, writing & data-entry work in just 4 hours by curated freelancers. Adam said that growing a business requires the ability to exercise your creativity for as long as you could, in order to grow for an unlimited amount of time with unlimited growth potential. So he says, "For me, my purpose has become how can I create every day at the highest level that I can. For me, that's enjoyable. This Cast Covers: Offering help to the needs of all marketing companies. Using internal tools set, an AI project manager has been accessed by other companies and small businesses. Collaborates tools together and manages team members. Exploring the world of startups. Helping entrepreneurs to have a quicker and outstanding quality workflow. Giving marketing teams or agencies the support they need with a Speedlancer Concierge on Agency Plans. Became the Fastest Freelance Marketplace Serving customers in 209 countries. Additional Resources: Speedlancer Inc Robert Greene Books Venture Deals by Brad Feld ____________________Quotes: "It doesn't matter what you're doing or how you're doing it. I believe that people are happiest when they can create." —Adam Stone "For me, my purpose has become how can I create every day at the highest level that I can." —Adam Stone"If you accept the fact that there's always a lot of failures along the way, you can handle the stressful points in your business." —Adam Stone"Growth requires solving problems, it's not something you can easily get." –Adam Stone"if your business is stagnating, and it's at its peak, and you can't find a way to improve it, you must exit them." —Adam Stone____________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io. "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Mar 25, 2022 • 31min
From a leading member of a young company with only 5 members, now a Chief Executive Officer of a famous food company. A subsidiary of an ASX-listed company with over $10 million annual run rate and 40 FTEs. (Jay Albany)
In this episode, I interview Jay Albany, Chief Executive Officer of Dirty Clean Food, a subsidiary of an ASX-listed company based in Southeast of Perth in Australia. Jay set up his business to help farmers grow their business and provide healthy and nature-friendly foods delivered in famous restaurants and grocery stores. From a leading member of a one-hour grocery delivery company, Jay decided to pursue new opportunities by growing a farm-based business. Dirty Clean Foods was established in 2015 and has been running for over 7 years. Became an ASX-listed company with $10 million annual run rate and 40 FTEs. Jay has said that growing a small business requires creating and maintaining good team members and high-quality products. So he says, "Success can be measured through a good response from your business partners and customers." This Cast Covers: Expert in advancing regenerative farming. Creating a channel for consumers to access produce with regenerative farming techniques. Transformation of acreage from Industrial farming to regenerative farming. Making money through online marketing delivery. Providing products to some independent groceries and top restaurants in town. A subsidiary of an ASX-listed company called Wide Open Agriculture. Learning how to combine high-quality produce and taste with instant gratification. Learning how to grow a food business by working with a varied network of small family farms. Helping farmers and entrepreneurs grow their small businesses by proper financing and regular data checking. Sharing ideas on how to stand out a business despite the huge competence. Additional Resources: Dirty Clean Food The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy Loonshots by Safi Bahcall ___________________ Quotes:"Building density is always a key for a distribution business." —Jay Albany"Having a stronger financial background will help you achieve your dream as an entrepreneur." —Jay Albany "Success can be measured through a good response from your business partners and customers." —Jay Albany "Do a lot of development work to overcome the difficulties in your business." —Jay Albany "Control yourself from interfering and start trusting people who have the best chance of building a good team." —Jay Albany___________________Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Mar 20, 2022 • 40min
From being a young teenage freelancer in the mid-'80s, now a Business Coach, Founder & Creative Director of a well-known Life-Scaping Company in the United States with services ranging from $4,500-$45,000/year & 14 FTEs. (Monique Allen)
In this episode, I interview Monique Allen, Business Coach & Founder of The Garden Continuum Inc. based in Medfield, Massachusetts, United States of America. Monique has set up her own life-scaping company to help entrepreneurs, people in private, commercial, and government to ensure the longevity, vitality, and beauty of their home, business, and protected project areas.From blogging a business back in the 90s, Monique decided to start her own business with a teachable mindset and self-awareness. Garden Continuum Inc was established in 1991 and has been running for over 32 years.Monique said that to grow a business, you have to develop self-awareness and open your perspective to different realities. So she says, "the capacity of your business can only stretch to the capacity of you. And if you decide that you are not going to grow your own mental capacity, your own emotional capacity, or intellectual capacity, then the business gets stuck. So the best possible thing you can do is invest in your own self-awareness in your own growth."This Cast Covers: Understand how the best landscape practices meet up with the needs of the environment. Represents well over 100 years of experience and commitment to the Green Industry. Developing Landscapes Ensuring the longevity, vitality, and beauty of your home or business. Works with private, commercial, and government clients on sensitive and protected project areas. Ensuring the best environmental outcome and performance. Provides professional services in consultation, design, installation, and fine gardening. Provides business coaching and speaking. Life-Scapes for all Seasons Lifestyle coaching to grow business with passion and success. Additional Resources: The Garden Continuum inc Let Go to Grow By Doug and Polly White The E-Myth by Michael Gerber ___________________ Quotes: "Being able to feel incredibly impassioned about your craft is so different than believing you should be paid." –Monique Allen "Help owners to look at the honorable value of what they're offering, and realize that they're not actually selling anyone. They're providing a solution. They're providing a pathway to better living, why would you withhold that?" –Monique Allen "For me, success really has been able to have both of those worlds to love my work and love my family and not have to compromise with either one of them." –Monique Allen "The best possible thing you can do is invest in your own self-awareness in your own growth." –Monique Allen "Remember that if you want to be a leader, part of your job is to get comfortable with discomfort." –Monique Allen___________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io. "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Mar 16, 2022 • 36min
192: With over 20 years of experience in media, now helping entrepreneurs become more profitable through Public Relations, Media & Public Speaking Training. Became a six-figure business in 2019, quadrupled income from mid-2021 to now. (Jaimie Abbott)
In this episode, I interview Jaimie Abbott, the CEO, PR, and Communication Specialist at Jaimie Abbott Communications based in Newcastle, Australia. Jaimie has set up her own presentation skills training company to help entrepreneurs and small business owners become more profitable through Public Relations, Media, and Public Speaking training. With over 20 years of experience in media as a journalist and PR officer, Jaimie decided to leave journalism to pursue new opportunities. Jaimie Abbott Communications was established in 2013 and has been running for over 8 years. Became a six-figure business in 2019, quadrupled income from mid-2021 to now, and from 1 to 14 FTEs. Jaimie has said that growing a small business requires consistency and she thinks that it's the hardest thing in growing a small business. However, she also said that being consistent in everything you do would impact the future of the business. So she says, "Being consistent with marketing is important because that's how you would engage people in your business." This Cast Covers: Offering a broad range of services designed to boost one's confidence in front of any audience. Teaching people how to be better at public speaking, and how to do their PR through online courses. Running one-on-one sessions and group workshops to assist public speaking engagements. Helping entrepreneurs and small business owners become more profitable through Public Relations, Media, and Public Speaking training. An award-winning media and public relations professional with over 20 years in the industry. Expert in managing and developing high-level communications and engagement strategies. Became a six-figure business in 2019, quadrupled income from mid-2021 to now. Learning about how consistency would impact the growth of the business along the way. Learning how to be a great speaker to effectively tell a business story. Additional Resources: Jaimie Abbott Communications Rich Dad Poor Dad By Robert T. Kiyosaki Retire Young Retire Rich By Robert T. Kiyosaki __________________________ Quotes: "Being consistent with marketing is important because that's how you would engage people in your business." —Jaimie Abbott "The most successful people are those who are passionate about what they're doing." —Jaimie Abbott "Getting media coverage is an opportunity for small business owners to scale business." —Jaimie Abbott "Regular team meetings especially in this virtual world environment is important to have visibility on what each other is working on." —Jaimie Abbott "Don't let your ego get in the way of your business." —Jaimie Abbott __________________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Mar 14, 2022 • 21min
In 2007, established a design house that brings together and represents the best in Australian design. Products can be seen in any establishment worldwide and have been available for over 15 years with 100% growth & around 14 FTEs.(Sarah Gibson)
In this episode, I interview Sarah Gibson, the Co-founder and Co-director of DesignByThem, a design house based in Canberra, Australia. DesignByThem is run by designers who are dedicated to creating and producing unique products for design professionals and enthusiasts alike. Products can be seen in any establishment worldwide. Established in 2007, DesignByThem was founded by industrial designers Sarah Gibson and Nicholas Karlovasitis. Sarah has designed a range of furniture, lighting, and accessories as well as curated and developed the work of other fellow Australian designers. The company has been available for over 15 years, obtained 100% growth last year with around 14 FTEs. In business, trust is hard to give. However, Sarah has their way to build trust in the company. She says, "Having a good conversation channel has been really beneficial for our team, it's bringing everyone into the decision-making process and that's been the most genuine way to build trust in our company." This Cast Covers: A design house that brings together and represents the best in Australian design. Representing the talent of Australian designers in a playful collection of fun and functional furniture and homewares. Creating an independent Australian design brand and platform for local designers to showcase their work. An industrial designer with a passion for business and Australian design. Has designed a range of furniture, lighting, and accessories as well as curated and developed the work of other fellow designers. Making incredible designs of furniture which are good in offices, firms, and businesses. The importance of hiring individuals with a better attitude than skilled ones. Making sure of providing the best quality design and products to their customers. The company is not about designs but also committed to reducing the impact of products on the environment and society. Aiming to do the work in meaningful ways through comprehensive product life cycle thinking. Additional Resources: DesignByThem Making Ideas Happen By Scott Belsky The E-Myth By Michael E. Gerber __________________________ Quotes: "Give yourself credit, you have to take note of those little successions along the way." —Sarah Gibson "Success is really enjoying what you do, but also making enough money to enjoy your personal life." —Sarah Gibson "With consistency, you will create a really loyal base of customers." —Sarah Gibson "How important it is to have people with a greater attitude than those with skills but by no means have respect." —Sarah Gibson "Having a good conversation channel has been really beneficial for our team, it's bringing everyone into the decision-making process and that's been the most genuine way to build trust in our company." —Sarah Gibson __________________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Mar 9, 2022 • 35min
Aged 28 in 2017, started consulting company, building systems, processes, and training for small to medium businesses. Started by himself to now around 8 FTEs, growing revenue from $50,000 in the first year to last year's $400,000. (Chris Gwinn)
In this episode, I interview Chris Gwinn, the Founder and CEO of Great Lakes Advisory, a consulting company based in Chicago, USA, helping small to medium businesses with systems, processes, and training. The company's mission is to improve overall efficiency to lower operational costs, improve competitive advantage, and increase profitability. Great Lakes Advisory was founded in 2017 by Chris Gwinn after realizing the incredible impact that a solution like systems and processes and documented procedures could have on a business. He started by himself to now around 8 FTEs, growing revenue from $50,000 in the first year to last year's $400,000. The consulting has been available for over four years now. Chris says that the hardest thing in growing a small business is overcoming obscurity. However, if you surround yourself with the right people, have the right strategy in place, and have a team that shares the same vision, you can certainly overcome any circumstances. This Cast Covers: Building systems, processes, and training for small to medium businesses. Making businesses easier to manage by documenting their processes & building world-class training experiences. Helping business owners train new hires faster, serve more customers, and scale business. Improving overall efficiency to lower operational costs, improve competitive advantage, and increase profitability. Talking about the benefits of implementing process improvement. Optimizing business processes through training solutions. Sharing a passion for operations, processes, finance, investments, and working with people. Realizing the incredible impact that a solution like systems and processes and documented procedures could have on a business. Learning of true success of what business services can do to their clients. Additional Resources: Great Lakes Advisory The E-Myth By Michael E. Gerber Good To Great By Jim Collins The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By Stephen R. Covey _________________________ Quotes: "If you own a business, you need to have that business running on systems and processes and repeatable operations so that you can really scale through." —Chris Gwinn "Success to me is that I have the ability to control my own destiny and my true success in this business is what our solution can do for our clients." —Chris Gwinn "Understand your target audience, collect as much data as possible so you can kind of understand your client's behavioral characteristics to effectively introduce your product or service." —Chris Gwinn "Figure out what you do best and what your customers value the most, be an expert of something so you'll become a dominant market player within your industry." —Chris Gwinn "Make sure that everyone else around you is serving customers the way that you want them to be served." —Chris Gwinn _________________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Mar 6, 2022 • 31min
With over 20 years of experience in real estate, he has scaled several businesses & established himself as an authority in the real estate industry. Started a real estate company in 2013, has grown through flipping & investing. (Bobby Jones)
In this episode, I interview Bobby Jone, the Owner and Co-founder of Yellow Hammer Properties, a real estate company based in Birmingham, USA. Yellow Hammer Properties specializes in renovations, flipping, and investing in high-end single-family properties. Bobby is committed to providing excellent customer service by ensuring that all of the properties are in the highest quality condition that will make everyone feel at home. With over 20 years of experience in real estate, Bobby has scaled several businesses and established himself as an authority in the real estate industry. He Co-founded Yellow Hammer Properties in 2013 together with his business partner Mark Wilson. He has grown the company through making property investments and flipping business and now with 50 FTEs. Bobby defines success as using one's purpose, calling, and gifts to help others. He says, "I really feel like my purpose and calling is to lead others to financial freedom using Biblical principles." So, Jones utilizes his excellent leadership skills by guiding his agents to achieve targets. This Cast Covers: A real estate company, specializing in renovations, flipping, and investing in high-end single-family properties. Affiliated with the world-renowned eXP Realty Brokerage which has been instrumental in the growth of the company. Providing excellent customer service by ensuring that all of the properties are in the highest quality condition that will make everyone feel at home. A real estate investor who's not only looking for a transactional income but also passive and leveraged incomes. An impressive entrepreneur and a seasoned real estate investor who is highly enthusiastic and motivated to succeed. The importance of communication in building relationships and relationships in building a business. Learning to give back to others, using one's purpose, calling, and gifts to help others. Passionate about leading others to financial freedom using Biblical principles. The importance of learning how money works and how to manage them and where to use them, so it won't cause problems later on but keep leveraging. Additional Resources: Yellow Hammer Properties How to Win Friends & Influence People By Dale Carnegie Trump Never Give Up By Donald Trump John C. Maxwell ________________________ Quotes: "The only way to true wealth is to have passive income to the point that you have financial freedom, and the only way to financial freedom is when your passive income exceeds your expenses." —Bobby Jones "Success is using your purpose and calling and gifts to help others." —Bobby Jones "People can't follow you if they don't know you, which means you can't live in obscurity, you have to be omnipresent and you have to tell everybody that you know what you do." —Bobby Jones "If you can't communicate with people, then you can't build relationships, and relationships are the key to building any business." —Bobby Jones "If you don't believe it, nobody else is going to believe." —Bobby Jones _____________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0


