Beyond 8 Figures

It's the Fourth of July this week in the US, so I'm celebrating America's birthday with my family. Meanwhile, I wanted to find a great episode from our vaults to help you grow your brand. This one features Ray Mendez from Masa&Boz, my old friend and branding genius. In this episode, Ray shares his expertise in strategic decision-making and transformative branding and discusses how understanding core values, leveraging AI, and focusing on sustainable growth helps in building a successful brand.About Ray MendezRay Mendez is a partner at Masa&Boz, where he crafts strategies to help businesses connect with their customers. He's an expert in brand prototyping, strategy, and workshop leadership. Ray's impressive resume includes roles as a Creative Director at top firms like TBWA and Saatchi & Saatchi, and he has worked with global brands such as Apple and Greenpeace. He also teaches at Pratt Institute, sharing his knowledge from a Master of Fine Arts at Syracuse University. Known for his creative solutions and high standards, Ray believes in bringing brands to life with passion and innovation.Key Insights:Empower your business. Take control of your strategy and let external agencies help you articulate your vision by asking the right questions. This way, you maintain authenticity and ensure your business’s mission and values guide your growth.Leverage technology. Using AI to deepen your brand's creative opportunities helps you pinpoint key areas for improvement and enhancement, making your branding efforts more effective and resonant with your target audience.Balance creativity with analytics. Combining creativity with data ensures your marketing is both imaginative and effective, attracting more customers and driving better results.Measure effectiveness. Continuously analyzing your marketing efforts ensures they align with your goals, allowing you to make informed adjustments and achieve optimal outcomes.Choose long-term sustainability. Focusing on the long game leads to steady and reliable growth, ensuring your business remains robust and competitive over time. As good as overnight success sounds, it’s not likely to get you far. Ray’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“Good marketing should be about innovating your product over time, coming up with better ideas, coming up with better solutions for your customers, rather than trying to sell something that is not good enough for them.”Connect with Ray Mendez:LinkedInWebsiteFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedInXWebsite

Potential clients are within reach, but how do you make them loyal customers? In this episode, I talk with Karen Briscoe, a mega real-estate agent, successful author, and coach who shares how personalized follow-ups and scalable systems help to convert leads into lifelong clients in real estate and beyond. About Karen BriscoeKaren Briscoe is the creator of the innovative "5 Minute Success" concept, which simplifies the path to success in both business and life. Her entrepreneurial spirit shines through in her real estate career, where she leads a top-performing team and consistently sells over $100 million each year. Karen's methods have proven effective not only in her field but as a blueprint for others in various industries, making her a sought-after coach and podcast host. Karen's work and books focus on essential themes for business growth: generating leads, mastering sales, building connections, and fostering a success-oriented mindset. Each book, like Real Estate Success in 5 Minutes a Day and Consult to Sell: 66 Day Challenge®, is designed to help readers learn and apply new skills daily in manageable steps. Her latest book, Flip Time / Love Life, expands on this by showing how to balance professional achievements with personal happiness, encouraging readers to succeed in business while also enjoying life. Well worth checking out.Key Insights:Use your time wisely. Break tasks into smaller parts and set strict deadlines. Focus on one thing at a time and use time blocks to get more done to stay productive and less stressed.Be ready to adapt. Stay flexible and open to change, especially in industries prone to fluctuations. Monitor market trends and customer feedback. Review your business strategy regularly to make changes and stay ahead of the competition.Learn a bit every day. Spending just five minutes daily improving your business knowledge can go a long way. Read an article, listen to a quick podcast, or watch a short video—this keeps you sharp and creative.Collaborate with others. Find other businesses to work with to boost your reach and offer better services. Partner up for joint promotions, events, or bundled services. Focus on collaborations that can help you tap into new customer bases.Have a conversion strategy. Make sure you have a plan to turn leads into paying customers. Follow up quickly, personalize your approach, and keep in touch. CRM tools can make this process easier.Karen’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“Build the systems, the leverage to create scale, because until you have the ability to reproduce it, you're always going only to be as good as your next deal.”Read Karen’s book “Flip Time / Love Life: A Heroine’s Journey - A 5 Minute Success Story”Connect with Karen Briscoe:InstagramXLinkedInWebsiteFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedInXWebsite

Purpose-driven innovation starts with aligning a product with core values rather than just chasing market trends. This means understanding what truly matters to customers and addressing these needs. Take Amanda Thomson, for example, who aligned her personal values with her business and developed a range of premium non-alcoholic wines that not only filled a market gap but also established NOUGHTY as a leader in the beverage industry. It’s already available in the USA, Canada, UK, and Europe and continues its rapid global expansion.About Amanda ThomsonAmanda Thomson is the visionary founder and CEO of Thomson & Scott, where she has created Noughty, the world’s first premium non-alcoholic wine portfolio. With a background as a journalist and broadcaster at the BBC, Amanda used her media savvy and storytelling skills to shift into the entrepreneurial world and study for her Diploma in Wine at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Her commitment to innovation and health-conscious alternatives led her to develop a product that caters to a growing global demand for non-alcoholic beverages.Under Amanda’s leadership, Noughty became a market leader, being served in some of the world’s top bars, restaurants, and hotels, including The Soho House Group and The Mandarin Oriental. Her commitment to purpose-driven innovation and ethical business practices has not only shaped her company but also made her a recognized industry leader.Key Insights:Focus on quality and branding. High-quality products combined with strong branding can set you apart from competitors, leading to increased customer retention and premium pricing opportunities.Adapt and innovate. Update your offerings regularly to stay relevant. This keeps your brand competitive and can open new market opportunities, ensuring long-term business growth.Develop strategic partnerships. Collaborate with reputable businesses to expand your reach. This can help you enter new markets and increase brand prestige through association with established companies.Educate your customers. There’s a good chance you target audience doesn’t know much about the market. Educating them on the topics beyond your offering can help overcome consumer skepticism, leading to higher adoption rates and customer satisfaction.Be patient and strategic. Scale your business methodically to ensure sustainable growth. Avoid rushing into expansion without a solid foundation to prevent operational and financial setbacks.Amanda’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“Having the idea is one thing. Execution is a whole different ballgame.”Taste the difference with NoughtyConnect with Amanda Thomson:InstagramLinkedInXWebsiteFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedInXWebsite

When done right, podcast guesting can be a powerful tool for business growth. It's not just about talking; it's about creating connections. So in this episode, Lyndsay Phillips explains that by being strategic about which podcasts you guest on and repurposing the content from these appearances, you can significantly increase your visibility and attract more clients. Through her experience, she has developed a system that helps entrepreneurs use podcast guesting to boost their authority and drive business growth.About Lyndsay PhillipsLyndsay Phillips is the CEO of Smooth Business Podcasting and the host of the Leverage Your Podcast show. She created the Podcast Leverage System to help authors, coaches, and thought leaders use podcasting to grow their businesses. She has been featured on MSN, NBC, Fox, and the Huffington Post, and has spoken at events like Dream Business Academy and Podfest.With practical tips on repurposing podcast content and building a consistent brand, Lyndsay helps entrepreneurs turn every podcast appearance into a powerful marketing tool. She focuses on actionable strategies that increase visibility, drive traffic to your website, and convert listeners into loyal clients.Key Insights:Treat podcast guesting as a relationship, not a transaction. Engage with the host and their audience to build lasting connections. You can always offer to help the host by referring guests, collaborating, or partnering on future projects. This kind of collaboration goes a long way.Be strategic. Choose podcasts that align with your target audience and goals and develop structured interview topics and questions that naturally lead to your call to action. Craft specific calls to action. Provide a clear and relevant next step for the audience, such as downloading a resource or scheduling a call, to convert listeners into leads. The more specific you can be - the better. Create a content calendar. Schedule regular posts of your podcast content on different platforms to keep your audience engaged and ensure a steady stream of visibility and engagement.Track and analyze results. Monitor the traffic, leads, and engagement you receive from each podcast appearance. Use this data to refine your strategy, focusing on what works best for your business growth.Lyndsay’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“When you are a guest on a show, that is a privilege. And you want to continue that relationship with that person.”Get Lyndsay’s Free Guide to Leveraging & Repurposing Your Podcast InterviewsConnect with Lyndsay Phillips:LinkedInInstagramWebsiteFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedInXWebsite

When buying a company, you need to know its realistic business valuation (to avoid overpaying and getting into financial trouble). This means you need to look carefully at the company's finances, understand where it stands in the market, and consider its future growth. Doing this helps you make a smart decision, ensuring you're not just buying potential but real value. Just look at Richard Parker, a business buying expert who has acquired 14 companies. In this episode, he shares how his careful approach to valuing businesses before buying them has played a big role in his success.About Richard ParkerRichard Parker is a seasoned entrepreneur with a robust track record in acquiring and growing businesses. Over the years, he has successfully purchased and managed 14 companies, applying a hands-on approach that focuses on realistic business valuations and strategic growth. Richard's entrepreneurial journey began after a successful career in management and finance.He is known for his practical and straightforward approach to business, emphasizing the importance of thorough due diligence and clear, strategic planning. Richard’s philosophy centers around making informed decisions based on accurate valuations, ensuring each business acquisition is a step towards greater success.Today, besides managing his diverse portfolio of companies, Richard dedicates part of his time to mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs, sharing his knowledge through workshops and publications. His insights help others navigate the complexities of business ownership and acquisition, fostering a new generation of savvy entrepreneurs.Key Insights:Start your due diligence early: Thorough research helps uncover potential issues and provides a clearer picture of the business's value. To make an informed initial assessment, begin by gathering financial records, understanding operational processes, and assessing market position.Build on existing foundations: Look for businesses with solid structures, such as established systems, processes, and a loyal customer base. A stable business offers a better platform for growth. Embrace imperfections: No business is perfect. Identifying and mitigating risks early helps in making informed decisions and managing expectations. Develop a risk assessment plan to evaluate potential issues and create strategies to address them proactively.Be a lifelong learner: Understanding the acquisition process, market dynamics, and best practices can significantly improve your decision-making and business success. Dedicate time to professional development through courses, reading industry publications, and networking with peers.Use a structured search approach: Using a clear plan and checklist can help you streamline the search and evaluation process. A structured method makes the process more efficient and focused, ensuring you cover all essential aspects such as financial health, market position, and operational efficiency.Richard’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“Your research really begins the second the business is of interest to you.”Join Richard’s Course “How To Buy A Good Business At A Great Price”Connect with Richard Parker:InstagramLinkedInYouTubeFacebookWebsiteFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedInXWebsite

Strategic business relationships are often the backbone of thriving ventures, allowing individuals to combine strengths, resources, and expertise for mutual benefit. John Casmon, a real estate investment expert, has mastered the art of leveraging partnerships and other people's money to build a thriving investment portfolio. And in today’s episode, he walks us through the steps of identifying the right partners, negotiating terms that benefit all parties involved, and managing these relationships over the long term to ensure sustained success. About John CasmonJohn Casmon is the founder of Casmon Capital and a trusted consultant for active multifamily investors looking to launch or expand their operations. John hosts the popular Multifamily Insights podcast and co-created the Midwest Real Estate Networking Summit, connecting industry leaders and investors.Before embracing real estate full-time, John led impactful marketing campaigns for major brands like General Motors, Nike, and Coors Light. His corporate background fuels his strategic approach to real estate, combining rigorous analysis with creative marketing techniques. John doesn't just see himself as an investor; he's a facilitator of wealth-building, helping others achieve financial independence through savvy real estate investments. Key Insights:Leverage Other People's Money (OPM). Choose funding strategies that complement your financial capabilities. Using OPM allows you to undertake larger projects and increase your investment capacity without exhausting your personal resources, helping to accelerate growth while managing risk.Implement risk management practices. Developing a clear understanding of potential risks and preparing strategies to mitigate them helps protect your assets and ensures steady growth without unexpected setbacks.Create systems and processes. Implementing systems in investment analysis, property management, and client relations ensures consistency and quality, enhancing your business's reputation and operational efficiency.Build a robust network. Connect with individuals and groups who can provide advice, share opportunities, and partner on projects, enhancing your business's reach and capabilities.Align investments with your goals. Choose investment opportunities that support your long-term financial and business objectives, ensuring each decision moves you closer to your desired outcomes.John’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“I had to overcome that fear of losing money. And the way I did that was by aligning myself with people who can help me.”Connect with John Casmon:LinkedInInstagramXWebsiteFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedinXWebsite

Michael Juergens, a wine enthusiast and entrepreneur, shares his journey of building Bhutan's wine industry from scratch. He discusses how work-life integration, rather than balance, fuels success, blending personal passions with professional endeavors. Michael highlights transformative experiences, from running marathons in Bhutan to navigating personal challenges like divorce, which inspired his entrepreneurial spirit. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration and innovation in winemaking, showcasing how Bhutan's unique terroir allows for sustainable practices in the industry.

What happens when a struggling business adopts a structured business system? Such a simple change in management can lead to monumental growth. Join us for a conversation with Steve Maly, the founder of Maly Marketing, who took his marketing agency from chaos to clarity by implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).About Steve MalySteve Maly is a seasoned entrepreneur who has guided his agency, Maly Marketing, to win several awards, including the Friend of Tourism award from Nebraska Tourism. He often speaks at conferences throughout the Midwest, teaching other businesses how to make their marketing efforts successful and measurable. Outside of work, Steve enjoys playing golf and is committed to learning more every day, both in his field and beyond. He's also very involved in his community, serving on the board of the Nebraska Travel Association and the Lincoln Chamber's policy advisory committee, among other roles.Key insights for your business:Leverage your background. Your life experiences are a great source of unique perspectives and strengths that can drive your business vision and strategy. No matter the challenges you face, it can guide your decision-making, giving you an advantage in the competitive market.Adapt and evolve through systems. Structured business systems like EOS help entrepreneurs clarify business operations, align teams, and facilitate scalable growth. Adding more structure can help you address challenges systematically and ensure consistency in business practices.Embrace strategic networking. Actively seek out and participate in networking groups, masterminds, and industry associations that align with your business goals. These connections will provide critical insights, opportunities for collaboration, and access to new markets.Prioritize learning from every experience. Encourage your team to experiment, learn from outcomes, and iteratively refine approaches, even if these experiments fail. Invest in people and delegation. Investing in capable team members not only enhances business capacity but also allows you to focus on strategic growth and client engagement. Why waste time on the tasks others can handle for you?Steve’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“I knew if we continue to do the same things we've been doing, we're gonna continue to get the same results. And so I kind of had to take the leap of faith.” (10:46)Connect with Steve Maly:XLinkedInMaly MarketingFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedInXWebsite

Failures might knock you down, but the real test is how you rise. In this episode, Brad Pedersen, founder of Lomi, shares the crucial lessons of his entrepreneurial journey and explains how learning from failure can lead to building a more robust business model.About Brad PedersenBrad Pedersen is an entrepreneur with a knack for innovation and sustainability. In 2008, he founded a leading toy company in Canada and later merged it to co-found Basic Fun. Brad also co-founded Pela, where he introduced sustainable phone cases, creating a new market category valued at $100M. His latest success is launching the Lomi, the world’s first smart waste kitchen composter, through a $9.8M crowd-sourced campaign. Brad lives in British Columbia, where he enjoys the outdoors and focuses on making a positive impact through his community-driven businesses.Key Insights:Learn from every failure. When something goes wrong, dissect the situation to identify missteps and implement new strategies. This continuous improvement cycle not only prevents future failures but also enhances overall business resilience and efficiency.Prioritize strategic financial planning. Regularly reviewing your financial status helps you make informed decisions, anticipate cash flow shortages, and secure funding before it becomes a crisis, thereby ensuring sustained operational capability.Encourage reflection and feedback. Regular introspection allows you to stay relevant and responsive to market changes, which is vital for maintaining a competitive edge and adapting to consumer demands quickly.Cultivate resilience. Entrepreneurial resilience leads to quicker recovery from setbacks, minimizing downtime and maintaining customer trust and business continuity during challenging times.Harness the power of community. Engaging with your local community increases brand loyalty and awareness, while collaborating with other businesses can lead to new partnerships, expanding your network and resources, which in turn fuels business growth and innovation.Brad’s best advice for entrepreneurs:“I am going to feel the most fulfillment when I'm either growing or giving, period. That's it. And part of giving is creativity and giving into a business and challenging yourself to become the best and brightest version of yourself.” (27:39)Get Brad’s book “Startup Santa”Connect with Brad Pedersen:LinkedInXWebsiteFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedInXWebsite

If starting a lifestyle brand has always been a dream of yours, this episode with Eric Bandholz, founder of Beardbrand, is a real treat. He shares how maintaining full control through bootstrapping allowed him to prioritize ethical sourcing and customer relationships over rapid growth. His story is a real inspiration for anyone who wants to create a business that not only succeeds financially but also supports their quality of life while staying true to their personal values.About Eric BandholzEric Bandholz started Beardbrand in 2012 with a simple goal: to make men feel awesome. From its beginnings as an online community, Beardbrand has grown into a major brand in the $3.2 billion beard care market, now offering a broad range of grooming products and even a brick-and-mortar barbershop in Austin. Eric attributes his success to staying true to his core values, especially freedom, which is grounded in stoic principles of focusing on what you can control. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Eric left the corporate world behind to create a community-centric brand. Operating as a bootstrap venture, Eric has steered Beardbrand, focusing on sustainable growth and independence, avoiding external investments. He advocates for the lifestyle business model, encouraging a balance between personal well-being and professional success. Key Insights:Incorporate your core values into your business strategy. Core values are much more than psychology mumbo-jumbo; they shape every decision you make in your business. They help to reflect what your company stands for and attract customers who share these beliefs.Enjoy your entrepreneurial journey. Even though everyday tasks might often feel like a drag, finding meaning in them can help to maintain motivation and prevent burnout. And remember that there’s always something to celebrate, no matter how small.  Leverage bootstrapping for greater control. Using your own money to fund your business can keep you in control and help you make quick decisions that are right for your business without external pressure. Focus on sustainable business growth. Choose growth strategies that fit your goals and business vision. Opting for steady, predictable growth is better than chasing overnight success, as it helps to maintain product quality, protects your reputation, and ensures your business grows in a manageable way.Build and engage your community. Hosting events, starting discussions on social media, creating loyalty programs, featuring spotlight customers, offering behind-the-scenes content… These are just a few ways you can turn your buyers into brand advocates and build a community that supports your growth. Eric’s best advice for entrepreneurs:"What matters is that you're enjoying the journey [...] When you can focus on building today and what I'm doing at this moment, then it doesn't really matter where you end up."Get Eric’s “Book of Reminders”Connect with Eric Bandholz:LinkedinInstagramXBeardbrandFollow Beyond 8 Figures:LinkedinXWebsite