The Elite Entrepreneurs Podcast

What You Will Learn:·        How to juggle all your projects at once·        What kinds of things should be handed off·        Effective communication strategies·        How treating your team members like they can solve problems can solve any problems that may arise·        Why leaving room for your team to interpret and grow is good for your business?·        How to get a lot done in the same amount of time everyone else has·        How unplugging from your business and notifications can help you About Lynda Bishop:Lynda Bishop, MPC, CEC, is a certified executive and empowerment coach, a master’s-level mental health therapist, relationship advisor, and international women’s leadership development facilitator with specialty certificates in Emotional Intelligence and the 360 assessment with the Center for Creative Leadership. She is also the founder of Relationship Insurance coaching services and author of Great Love, No Regrets; Building Relationships that Last.  In her role as the Vice President of National Programs for the National Association of Women Business Owners Institute for Entrepreneurial Development, she creates, staffs, and delivers the menu of programs offered to business owners and organizations of all sizes and facilitates professional mastermind groups across the country with women business owners to support them in their personal, family and business lives. She is also the founder of Summit Alliance Solutions, LLC, providing mentoring, training, coaching, and custom-designed programs to organizations in the nation. Her offices are located in both Arizona and Texas. As the Executive Director for the Aspiring Youth Academy, Lynda leads a team focused on five distinct programs serving entrepreneurial youth across Arizona from underserved communities and foster care. She is partnered with the Girl Scouts of the USA as a content curator to tell the stories of real women on their media platform, www.CircleAround.com. In her time, you may find her in Corpus Christi, TX, with her grandchildren or in Arizona camping, hiking, and being outdoors just about anywhere, and with her husband, Ken, and their beloved four-legged companions, Sherlock and Watson, by her side. Resources:·        Websites:o  https://lyndabishop.com/o  https://nawbo.org/o  https://aspiringyouth.org/·        LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lyndabishop/·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachlynda·        Facebook: www.facebook.com/aspiringaz Additional Resources:·        Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/health·        Email: info@GrowWithElite.com·        Website: https://growwithelite.com/

What You Will Learn:●     How Ron recognized the need for repeatable, consistent processes and a business scaling strategy that would help Service Express grow●     Why relying too heavily on your “superstar” employees can be a dangerous pitfall that creates a bottleneck in your growth●     How Service Express found a growth goal and then worked backward from that goal to determine how to get there●     Why Ron considers himself a “personal growth and professional development junkie”, and why continuous learning is a vital part of the Service Express culture●     Why Service Express is hyper-intentional about bringing in the right people with the right amount of personal drive and passion●     How Service Express has created a goal-setting program that helps employees develop their careers in the way they want to grow●     Why Service Express has always been a growth-oriented company across the 24 years that Ron has been with the organization●     Why it’s important to know why you want your business to grow and then hire around the answer, and why Service Express hires for alignment rather than just skills●     Why your organization’s Vision and Values should be central to how you hire, promote and fire team members●     Why Ron believes in “R&D”: rip off and duplicate, and why the answers to all your problems and challenges are out there if you’re willing to lookAbout Ron Alvesteffer:During his 23 years of ongoing leadership at Service Express, Ron Alvesteffer has helped the company leverage double-digit revenue growth year over year, expand its international footprint, create a unique performance-driven culture, and more. Ron is most proud of the strong company culture Service Express fosters through its company Vision of “helping employees achieve their personal, professional and financial goals.” This shared goal has helped create opportunities for employee achievement and led to outstanding individual and company success.As a result of its dedication to people, Service Express has been recognized in Inc.’s 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies twelve years in a row. Service Express has also been recognized as one of the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation for ten consecutive years.Ron is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and World 50, a private community for CEOs and C-level executives at globally respected organizations to discover better ideas, share valuable experiences and build relationships that make a lasting impact.In his free time, you will find Ron cheering on the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Pittsburgh Steelers with his family by his side.Resources:●     Website: https://serviceexpress.com/●     LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronalvesteffer/●     LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/service-express-inc/●     Facebook: www.facebook.com/weareserviceexpress/●     Facebook: www.facebook.com/ronalvesteffer●     Twitter: @RonAlvesteffer●     Twitter: @ServiceExpressAdditional Resources:●     Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/health●     Email: info@GrowWithElite.com●     Website: https://growwithelite.com/

What You Will Learn:●     Why Brett and his team created resources, educational opportunities and strategies for business owners struggling to navigate this hot job market●     How Elite created an advisory group of ten key Elite Momentum members to help Brett’s team determine how to best meet their needs throughout the pandemic●     Brett recaps some of the key points from his recent solocast in episode #99 of the Elite Entrepreneurs podcast, “The Great Resignation: Stopping the Bleeding”●     Why creating loyalty with your team takes more than a transactional relationship and requires Purpose, Growth and Connection●     Why too many business owners believe “more people means more headaches”, and why reframing your relationships with your team is key●     What advice Brett would offer to business owners wanting to speed up their hiring and onboarding process●     Why a great onboarding process can make a huge difference in how a new hire views your team and organization, and why it is important to take your time and put in the effort●     Brett shares the stages of business growth and the challenges these stages bring at the “ones and threes” of revenue●     Why pedaling faster isn’t the secret to speeding the growth of your business, and why it’s crucial to shift into a higher gear by improving your processes, systems and teamAbout Brett GillilandBrett Gilliland is Founder and CEO of Elite Entrepreneurs, a company that specializes in giving $1M+ business owners the knowledge, processes, and tools to grow to $10M and beyond. Brett is an expert in organization development, leadership, and strategy and spent 10 years helping Infusionsoft grow from $7M in revenue to over $100M. Brett was involved in the foundational work of Purpose, Values, and Mission at Infusionsoft and facilitated the strategic planning process for many years.One of Brett’s favorite professional accomplishments is co-creating Infusionsoft’s Elite Forum along with Clate Mask and building the Elite business inside of Infusionsoft. As the leader of the Elite business, Brett has helped hundreds of struggling seven-figure business owners overcome their biggest challenges and achieve new levels of success. He also played a central role in the development of Infusionsoft’s Leadership Model and was serving as the VP of Leadership Development when the decision was made to spin the Elite business out of Infusionsoft. As the new owner of Elite Entrepreneurs, Brett can’t think of anything else he’d rather be doing professionally. When Brett isn’t busy helping $1M+ businesses succeed, he is a family man who enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Sharon, and their 8 children.Resources:●     Revisit Brett’s Aug. 11, 2021 solocast episode #99, “The Great Resignation: Stopping the Bleeding”: https://growwithelite.com/podcasts/the-great-resignation/●     Learn about the Elite Ignition program: https://growwithelite.com/elite-ignition/Additional Resources:●     Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/health●     Email: info@GrowWithElite.com●     Website: https://growwithelite.com/

Small Business Finance   What You Will Learn: About Lorne Noble: A serial entrepreneur, Lorne Noble combined his favorite aspects of the corporate world and prior businesses (the analytics and helping young companies) when he founded Simple Startup, his fourth company, in a location fit for a former professional ski racer, Boulder. Simple Startup was born from observation, experience and necessity. Having worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, he often saw the same pattern repeated where incredible startups with mind-blowing vision and drive lacked a handle on their finances and suffered because of it. Entrepreneurs were making decisions based on gut feel rather than hard data leaving them open to risk when raising money and implementing strategy. They were unable to translate their vision into a sustainable, profitable business model. As principal and co-founder of Simple Startup, Noble dives into the analytics of the companies he advises while helping them simplify their finances, understand their numbers and make smart, informed decisions at every stage of business. He leads a talented group of financial analysts who are experts in investment-ready accounting, fractional finance support, business taxes and more, helping companies from idea to IPO and beyond. Noble began his career as an investment analyst where he led the due diligence process for over $2.5 billion in investment transactions. During the 2009 financial collapse, Noble became disenchanted with his corporate career and began the pursuit of his MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain where he became hooked on entrepreneurship. His passion for entrepreneurship led him to launch three different technology platforms: Career Mentor Me, Help More and My Healthier Body. His certificate in Advanced Financial Modelling from the London School of Business and Finance enabled him to further entrench himself into one of his favorite pastimes tinkering with Excel spreadsheets. After moving to Boulder, Colorado for a new adventure, Noble acted as the finance mentor to high-impact companies at the Unreasonable Institute, Girl Effect Accelerator and Singularity University. He also served as the founding member of the inaugural Financial Architect Program at the Unreasonable Institute. In pursuit of the latter, Noble has worked with numerous accelerators and organizations including Techstars, Cartier Women’s Initiative, Unreasonable Group, Next Wave Fund, Uncharted, Singularity University, the Nike Sponsored Girl Effect Accelerator, YPO+ Accelerator and Galvanize. He is always looking for new partnerships to help entrepreneurs change the world. Noble lives with his family in Boulder and has been fortunate to live in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Spain, France and the Dominican Republic. Noble absolutely loves finance, even going so far as to play with Excel on vacation, but he adores his girls Amber and Lyla even more. They enjoy going on adventures as a family including skiing, kite surfing, mountain biking and traveling. Resources: Additional Resources:

What You Will Learn: About Brett Gilliland Brett Gilliland is Founder and CEO of Elite Entrepreneurs, a company that specializes in giving $1M+ business owners the knowledge, processes, and tools to grow to $10M and beyond. Brett is an expert in organization development, leadership, and strategy and spent 10 years helping Infusionsoft grow from $7M in revenue to over $100M. Brett was involved in the foundational work of Purpose, Values, and Mission at Infusionsoft and facilitated the strategic planning process for many years. One of Brett’s favorite professional accomplishments is co-creating Infusionsoft’s Elite Forum along with Clate Mask and building the Elite business inside of Infusionsoft. As the leader of the Elite business, Brett has helped hundreds of struggling seven-figure business owners overcome their biggest challenges and achieve new levels of success. He also played a central role in the development of Infusionsoft’s Leadership Model and was serving as the VP of Leadership Development when the decision was made to spin the Elite business out of Infusionsoft. As the new owner of Elite Entrepreneurs, Brett can’t think of anything else he’d rather be doing professionally. When Brett isn’t busy helping $1M+ businesses succeed, he is a family man who enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Sharon, and their 8 children. Setting The Vision episodes: Building The Team episodes: Secure Fuel For Growth episodes: Amazing Quotes From Guests episodes: Four Key Insights episodes: Awesome Entrepreneurs episodes: Elite Business Growth Episode Miniseries episodes: Additional Resources:

What You Will Learn:●     How The Great Resignation is creating challenges for business owners at all levels as employees leave at unprecedented rates●     Why turnover is a huge business expense both directly and indirectly, and how millions of people have left or are considering leaving their jobs just since April 2021●     Why many pandemic-related issues and other factors are contributing to The Great Resignation, and why pay isn’t a major contributing factor●     Why fair, adequate pay is important, but it cannot be the primary solution to the talent drain you’re experiencing●     Why shared Purpose and Values can be a powerful resource for retaining your employees, and why emotional investment is a better motivator than financial investment●     Why we all have an innate desire to learn and develop, and how Zappos demonstrates that caring about employee growth and betterment can engender loyalty●     Why progress needs to be steady and incremental so that employees can feel their progress and add new responsibility●     Why communicating and demonstrating your care for your employees is a crucial leadership skill, and what steps you can take to strengthen your bond●     Why helping your team members through the challenges they’re facing can cost little and pay dividends in loyalty●     How doing the work to build loyalty and trust with your employees can often bring leaving employees back later, when their situation has changed againAbout Brett GillilandBrett Gilliland is Founder and CEO of Elite Entrepreneurs, a company that specializes in giving $1M+ business owners the knowledge, processes, and tools to grow to $10M and beyond. Brett is an expert in organization development, leadership, and strategy and spent 10 years helping Infusionsoft grow from $7M in revenue to over $100M. Brett was involved in the foundational work of Purpose, Values, and Mission at Infusionsoft and facilitated the strategic planning process for many years.One of Brett’s favorite professional accomplishments is co-creating Infusionsoft’s Elite Forum along with Clate Mask and building the Elite business inside of Infusionsoft. As the leader of the Elite business, Brett has helped hundreds of struggling seven-figure business owners overcome their biggest challenges and achieve new levels of success. He also played a central role in the development of Infusionsoft’s Leadership Model and was serving as the VP of Leadership Development when the decision was made to spin the Elite business out of Infusionsoft. As the new owner of Elite Entrepreneurs, Brett can’t think of anything else he’d rather be doing professionally. When Brett isn’t busy helping $1M+ businesses succeed, he is a family man who enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Sharon, and their 8 children.Additional Resources:●     Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/health●     Email: info@GrowWithElite.com●     Website: https://growwithelite.com/

What You Will Learn:What sets MKG Marketing apart, why they take a people-first approach, and how relationships are the cornerstone of their successKerry explains MKG Marketing’s people-first approach and shares how the company has grown and scaled over timeHow relationships have helped the team grow as the organization has increased in scale, and what important Values lessons Kerry has learned on the journeyWhy intentionality has been an important component of evolving MKG Marketing’s ValuesHow Kerry and her partner developed their benefits package, and why they switched from unlimited vacation time to 20 “use it or lose it” daysHow MKG Marketing assesses culture and Values fit when interviewing and hiring new candidatesWhy the MKG Marketing hiring process includes a 90-day trial period that serves as a two-way street for the organization and candidates to assess each otherHow Kerry ensures that her team is focused and moving toward the same destination, and why “overcommunication” is crucialWhy a regular meeting cadence is instrumental in keeping everyone on the team aligned and informed about the organization’s work and priorities About Kerry Guard:Kerry Guard is the COO of MKG Marketing, a digital marketing agency of experts specializing in SEO, Digital Advertising, and Analytics. It’s Kerry’s mission to find the most elite experts in the industry who have 5+ years of experience. MKG Marketing is a flat organization by design. The clients work directly with the experts who develop the strategy and execute it. This minimizes miscommunication and work duplication. Because MKG Marketing only hires experts, they are very selective. It takes a great deal of time and effort to find the best and keep the best. They provide flexible hours and work environments. They believe in 3 months of Maternity/Paternity leave. If a parent needs to drop everything to pick up a sick child from daycare, the team doesn’t think twice. Kerry is very proud of the team she has, and looks forward to continuing to grow and provide this life/work balance to more digital marketers. Resources:Tea Time With Tech Marketing Leaders podcast with Kerry Guard: https://mkgmarketinginc.com/blog/podcasts/Website: https://mkgmarketinginc.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kerryguard/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/mkg-marketingFacebook: www.facebook.com/mkgmarketinginc/Twitter: @MKGMarketingInc Additional Resources:Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/healthEmail: info@GrowWithElite.comWebsite: https://growwithelite.com/

What You Will Learn:How Greenpal has since scaled to include every major city in the United States, with over $20 million in annual revenue and more than 300,000 customersHow Bryan got into the lawn care industry by starting a landscaping company while he was in high school, and how he grew that company into a multimillion dollar businessWhat challenges Bryan faced and key lessons he learned on his journey to grow his first business into a massive success, and why his own leadership growth was keyHow starting Greenpal was a different experience for Bryan that required him to “reinvent the wheel” by creating a unique business modelWhy it is vital for seven figure business owners to find time to work on the parts of their business that are “important but not urgent” in order to growBryan shares a helpful hack that can allow you to bring in “fractional” high level leaders to help you move the needle for your organization more quicklyHow Bryan grew out his leadership team while also working on his own leadership growth, and why learning to level up his leadership was crucial for scaling GreenpalWhy Bryan felt the need to work on developing his own skills and leadership growth for a year before he began filling in his leadership teamHow Bryan realized the business wasn’t about himself but about the team he leads, and how that opened up a new level of fun and empowermentWhy the highs and lows of running a business are all invaluable experiences that “force you to level up” your leadership growth, especially the lows and difficult experiences About Bryan Clayton:Bryan Clayton is CEO and cofounder of GreenPal, an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. GreenPal has been called the Uber for lawn care by Entrepreneur magazine and has over 200,000 active users completing thousands of transactions per day. Before starting GreenPal Bryan Clayton founded Peachtree Inc., one of the largest landscaping companies in the state of Tennessee, growing it to over $10 million a year in annual revenue before it was acquired by Lusa holdings in 2013. Bryan’s interests and expertise are related to entrepreneurialism, small business growth, marketing and bootstrapping businesses from zero revenue to profitability and exit. Resources:Website: www.yourgreenpal.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-clayton-a96b33214/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/greenpal/Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenpallawncareTwitter: @bryanMclaytonInstagram: @bryanmclayton Additional Resources:Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/healthEmail: info@GrowWithElite.comWebsite: https://growwithelite.com/

What You Will Learn:·        How The X Company’s business model works, and how they create residential “lifestyle experience” communities in the best urban locations at affordable prices·        How Noah built his organization’s Culture with intentionality, and why he practices a very people focused leadership style dedicated to his employees’ success·        How Noah is focused on differentiation from The X Company’s competitors and on ensuring that employees feel fulfilled by their work·        Why clear communication around employees’ long term goals is crucial for giving them the career opportunities they are looking for·        Why surrounding yourself with the right team frees you up to work ON the business rather than grinding IN the business·        Why career growth in an organization begins with its leadership stepping away from tasks and allowing others to grow into them·        How, as businesses mature, the team goes from being jacks-of-all-trades to specializing, and how a leader’s job is to adapt to this transition·        Why it is important to ensure that your specialized teams aren’t operating in silos and that everyone understands the effect their work has on the organization as a whole·        What growth challenges Noah and The X Company have faced, and what key lessons the team has learned through tackling those challenges·        Why practicing people focused leadership by prioritizing your employees and dedicating resources to their success is a powerful way to build a highly effective team About Noah Gottlieb:As CEO, Noah is responsible for overseeing the growth and culture of The X Company, whose development pipeline currently spans seven markets, over $1B of construction activity, and some 10,000 beds. Resources:·        Website: www.thexlife.co·        LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/noahgottlieb·        LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-x-company/·        Instagram: www.instagram.com/thexlife.co Additional Resources:·        Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/health·        Email: info@GrowWithElite.com·        Website: https://growwithelite.com/

What You Will Learn:·        How Danny became a business owner and entrepreneur unexpectedly by helping grow a business from seven employees to $275 million a year·        Why an important piece of Danny’s success was found in always seeking to improve and strengthen the business with intentionality and purpose·        Why creating a business that is highly transferable comes down to building an organization that can stand on its own without being too dependent upon you·        What critical mistakes business owners often make that can hurt their ability to sell or transfer the business when they’re ready to exit·        Why your financial statements need to be highly accurate, and why you need to reconcile every account on your balance sheet every single month·        Danny shares an example of a business owner who failed to reconcile his balance sheet and how it created a cascading series of problems that caused the business to close·        What advice Danny has to share for business owners who hope to eventually exit their business, and what steps you can take today to prepare·        How Danny and his team help dramatically increase the value of businesses by teaching owners what changes to make About Danny Wheeler:Danny Wheeler is a Partner at FAZ Business Advisors and has over 30 years of experience as a business operator in a variety of industries and as an advisor to closely held businesses. He has owned and been a member of the management team of Health Solutions, CFO for Hire, Ultradian Diagnostics and ATSCO Products. While Danny served as the Chief Financial Officer of Health Solutions, the company’s revenues grew from $29 million to $275 million and was ultimately sold to a publicly traded competitor. More recently, as the CEO of ATSCO Products he successfully grew the business over seven years and sold it to WB Mason. Danny has assisted numerous other entrepreneurs in making their businesses bigger, better, easier to operate and more profitable. His clients have included businesses in healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, banking, hospitality, retail, legal and real estate. These businesses have fixed their profitability problems, purchased other businesses, sold all or part of their business and created long term plans that met the needs of the business owners. He has worked in a variety of markets including Boston, Hartford, Providence, New York, Detroit, Orlando, Miami, the Caribbean and throughout Upstate New York. Danny is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration with a degree in Finance and Real Estate. He is both a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor. He currently serves or has served in leadership & board roles for numerous not-for-profits, professional organizations, and community groups, including Albany Medical College, Cornell Hotel Society, Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the NYS Society of Certified Public Accountants. Danny is a huge fan of football on Sundays and any kind of live sporting event or rock concert. He and his wife enjoy trips to Cape Cod and spending time with their three sons who are building their own successful careers. Resources:·        Website: https://fazcpas.com/·        LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danny-j-wheeler/·        LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ferraro-amodio-&-zarecki-cpas/·        Facebook: www.facebook.com/fazcpas/ Additional Resources:·        Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/health·        Email: info@GrowWithElite.com·        Website: https://growwithelite.com/