BiggerPockets Business Podcast

Jesse McCue’s property management company had a problem: Try as they might, they just couldn’t find a thorough, reliable cleaning crew.So, what did Jesse do? He threw up his hands and went back to “Dancing with the Stars.” Duh.Kidding!Jesse took matters into his own hands, and what started as a singles-and-doubles operation has grown to a thriving, 100-employee enterprise based in Bangor, Maine. In this episode, Jesse maps out a battle plan YOU can use to start a service business. From starting a website to getting insured, he guides us through exactly how to get started making profit by solving someone else’s #1 problem. Jesse breaks down how he multiplied his client base while barely spending anything on marketing, how he uses high-tech systems to monitor the performance of his night-shift employees, and how he uses checklists to systemize his hiring process so he’s not just relying on his gut. Plus, he shares how he navigated a tough transition around the 30-employee mark. AND he warns us about a danger facing every small business owner -- a cash flow-management trap that’s always lurking... even if business is booming!Listen to this episode today… Be sure to check out our back catalogue, and subscribe using your favorite podcast app so you won’t miss any future shows! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are you doing that you're not good at and/or don't like doing? Fire yourself—seriously!This episode is about delegating and systemizing, and who better to learn from than a serial entrepreneur who’s been tearing it up in real estate in recent years?Max Maxwell is a wholesaler, meaning he finds deeply discounted deals, ties them up under contract, then assigns them to an end buyer for a fee. Today Max tells us about his journey, from discovering he was dyslexic to joining the Air Force (“getting shot at for $20K/year”) to going broke (twice!). After all that, Max shares how he ultimately enrolled in “YouTube University” to learn the art of wholesaling.You’ll love the story of how Max’s business really took off when he delegated a weakness (data collection) and instead doubled down on his strengths (marketing and sales). Max also walks us through how to hire an overseas virtual assistant and how his first “V.A.” came to hire other team members once he began to scale up. He goes on to break down the structure of his business and reveal which marketing techniques brought in his juiciest deals.Max runs through his dos and don’ts for building a personal brand, as well as describes how he’s been able to build four businesses based on his wholesaling! Plus, if you know anything about Max, you know he’s a smooth negotiator. So, we asked him which skills are most crucial when developing rapport or closing a deal.Whether you’re in the real estate business or not, this episode is full of actionable advice for getting out of your own way and designing a well-oiled machine that works for you. So, don’t miss this one, AND don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite app!In This Episode We Cover: Why dyslexics often excel in business Transitioning from the military to marketing to real estate Structuring a real estate wholesaling business Hiring and managing a virtual assistant  Building a personal, rather than a corporate brand Active (highly taxed) income vs. passive income Why “fake it ‘til you make it” is often misunderstood The meaning of his motto, “You’re one deal away”  Finding purpose by building wealth for future generations And SO much more! Links from the Show BiggerPockets BiggerPockets Podcast Upwork Gary Vaynerchuk on Finding Deals Through Social Media & Crushing It as an Entrepreneur   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want a blueprint for breaking into a competitive industry and taking down your bigger, more established competitors?Well, that’s the focus of today’s episode with Nick Huber! As a college student, Nick founded a storage business aimed at helping his classmates. But the story doesn’t stop there. Nick and his partner passed up corporate job offers and have since expanded Storage Squad into 11 states and runs a team of 350 part-time workers.So how did Nick go from transporting items in his Cadillac DeVille and cramming them into his apartment... to signing on as the preferred storage provider for huge state universities? The answer involves “lean startup” principles, oldschool marketing tactics like sidewalk chalk, and a relentless focus on developing a competitive edge over bigger companies with less of a personal touch.You’ll be blown away by Nick’s resourcefulness, his tip about letting customers “see the whites of your eyes,” and how he was able to get executive help without giving away a huge chunk of the business.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does “The Queen of New York Real Estate” look for in an entrepreneur?As a “shark” on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” Barbara Corcoran hears a lot of pitches. She’s invested in entrepreneurs who have gone on to thrive... AND those who’ve failed or faded away. So what separates them? In this episode, Barbara shares what she’s learned both from the show AND her own remarkable, roller-coaster career.You’ll hear how she began her business career as an 11-year-old (even making the local paper), how she was inspired by her father’s unhappiness working for someone else, and how a failed relationship sparked her ambition to become New York City’s biggest real estate broker (which she accomplished!).You won’t want to miss the story of how she almost lost the Shark Tank job before it started, and how she fought tooth-and-nail to get the gig. You’ll hear her thoughts on investing in “the person,” rather than “the business,” when it makes sense to bootstrap vs. raising capital, why she distrusts entrepreneurs who use fancy jargon, and the surprising quality she values above all else.If you are interested in what makes some people succeed and others fail, you will love Barbara’s insights. Check out this show, and subscribe using your favorite podcast app so you won’t miss the next one!In This Episode We Cover: Barbara’s upbringing in a big, competitive family How a messy breakup lit her competitive fire  How she launched a successful real estate brokerage in New York City Why sales is vital to every business Juggling work and family commitments Why it’s almost always better to bootstrap vs. taking on investors Why she’s turned off by the words “pivot” and “burn rate” Why Comfy Bros. turned out to be her best “Shark Tank” investment The #1 reason entrepreneurs fail Links from the Show BiggerPockets BiggerPockets Podcast Shark Tank Comfy Brothers (Shark Tank) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you go about creating a product line out of thin air? In this episode, Cody Berman breaks down the process from start to finish -- and opens up about his exact costs and profit margins.  Cody grew up playing this disc golf (think of it as “golf with frisbees”), and by the time he was 19 years old the game was growing FAST. He spotted a big opportunity in the equipment market… and decided to do something about it. You’ll learn how Cody and his partner went about their market research (cost per unit, engineering, official regulations, margins, markup, MSRP), how they launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise seed money, and their process for calling 200 (!) prototyping and molding companies to get the best deal possible. We also talk about the moments that almost made them quit -- from being told they would need $100,000 to start (they wouldn’t) to surviving a disastrous early production run that led to an all-nighter and a lot of wasted capital. Cody also reveals how he markets Arsenal Discs in online groups, how he handles packaging and shipping, and his tips for entrepreneurs thinking about selling via Amazon.  Don’t miss this action-packed episode, and subscribe so you won’t miss the next one! In This Episode We Cover: The story behind Arsenal Discs How to start a business in college Meeting his business partner in college The story behind how they built the actual discs How to get from a product idea to an actual product The other hidden processes when starting a business Handling obstacles and rejections Doing whatever it takes to launch a product And SO much more! Links from the Show BiggerPockets BiggerPockets Money Podcast 26: Graduating College on Track for Financial Independence with Cody Berman BiggerPockets Money Podcast 17: Building a Lean Business With (Almost) No Capital with Alan Donegan Amazon Kickstarter Fiverr UpWork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever dreamt about getting paid to sit back and drink delicious beer all day? Well, keep dreaming. Yes, the beer industry is a lot of fun. But as you may have guessed, it’s hyper-competitive and demands a LOT of hard work! In today’s episode, Dave Thibodeau traces Ska Brewing’s evolution from scrappy underdog to top-100 brewery, competing against international conglomerates (all while keeping its edgy sense of humor). You’ll learn how Dave stumbled upon his passion in a book, how he and his partners bootstrapped the business by buying used equipment and sleeping in a Volkswagen bus, and how they marketed their brand’s “David vs. Goliath” attitude in a comic book. You’ll also hear how Dave and his partners expanded internationally, built a distribution arm to help other brewers (“coopetition,” he calls it), eventually scaled to 70 employees, and embraced the pain of a bad hops contract by releasing a limited-run, very hoppy brew called Bad Hop Contract. Don’t miss Dave’s advice for how to split up responsibilities among partners, and be sure to listen through to the end to hear him explain the big advantage smaller, more locally-minded businesses have when competing with international giants. Dave is a laid-back guy, who has managed to build a massive business while still remaining true to himself—so check him out in this episode, and subscribe so you won’t miss the next one! In This Episode We Cover: Why Dave looks at other craft brewers as “coopetition” How Ska Brewing expanded into overseas markets (They’re big in Sweden!) How a real estate investment made the company a ton of money What the “mom-and-pop” game is, and how to avoid it in your business Why Dave tries to hire people smarter than him Why he doesn’t blindly follow trends Why doing business locally helps his profit margins How diversifying into other products made his business stronger Why it’s so vital to make each employee feel important And SO much more! Links from the Show BiggerPockets BiggerPockets Business Podcast 03: How to Attract Media Attention and Turn Publicity Into Profit with Brent Underwood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you launch a profitable business without taking on a ton of employees or dealing with brick-and-mortar retailers? Peter Awad, co-founder of Mission Meats, breaks it all down in this episode. You’ll love hearing about Peter’s upbringing in a family of first-generation immigrant entrepreneurs. He also discusses how he got his start hustling in the early days of e-commerce (remember Mail Boxes Etc.?). You’ll also learn how Peter wound up miserable when he realized his job didn’t match his natural strengths and how interviewing other entrepreneurs shifted his perspective and inspired him to change careers. Peter offers useful insight into what makes a great (and terrible) partnership, how he and his partner came up with the same company name and logo independently(!), how he overcame his inability to focus, and why the person is more important than the idea. He goes on to explain the concept of a “slow hustle”—and how it may just help you navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Plus, Peter describes how Mission Meats is able to test products without a big upfront investment, how he gets instant customer feedback, why ego is the enemy of a profitable business, and how philanthropy motivates him to succeed. And be sure to listen until the end to hear a conversation about passing down business knowledge to the next generation. Download this episode today, and subscribe so you won’t miss the next! In This Episode We Cover: How Mission Meats uses “lean startup” principles How Peter overcame his “focus problem” by giving up on good ideas Why he likes to ask, “OK, but why YOU?” The importance of partners checking their egos at the door Why “slow hustle” sums up his approach to business How starting a podcast affected his career choices How to teach your kids about entrepreneurship And SO much more! Links from the Show BiggerPockets Slow Hustle Podcast with Peter Awad Caliper Yelp TripAdvisor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve got your idea, and you’re ready to take over the world. Now, where should you start? Should you... write a detailed business plan? Buy the equipment? Take out a loan? Wrong, wrong, and WRONG, according to our guest today. Alan Donegan founded the PopUp Business School to teach a different approach—one that encourages entrepreneurs to measure feedback well before they go into debt or get themselves stuck in a rat race of their own making. In this episode, Alan shows us how to experiment to see if customers will actually pay for your offering (“people will always be nice to you up until the point when you ask them to take money out of their pocket”) and how to organize a trial run to determine whether you even enjoy running the business. You’ll love Alan’s advice to “fail fast and fail cheap,” and to create a “high-trust environment” so you can get paid up front. Plus, you’ll learn how some of the most valuable companies in the world got started using this lean model. Alan shares his thoughts on exactly when to quit your 9 to 5 and go all-in on your business. He also reveals how to keep your energy up when burning the candle at both ends and why understanding the “trinity of management” is vital to the success of your enterprise. This is one of our most actionable, knowledge-packed shows so far. Be sure to download it and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast using your favorite app for more! In This Episode We Cover: What inspired Alan to start his training program How to conduct real-world market research How Amazon and Virgin used the method Alan teaches How to do a “trial run” for your business idea How to get others excited about your product Why saving a portion of profits might someday save your business And SO much more! Links from the Show BiggerPockets BiggerPockets Premium BiggerPockets Forums Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if we told you that mastering this one skill could allow you to replace your W-2 income, boost sales immediately, AND help launch your own thriving online business? Christina Gillick used copywriting to do all three of those things! In this episode, she shares her story and guides us through a crash course on persuasive writing. You’re going to love Christina’s tips for writing like you talk and using stories to grab your audience’s attention. And you’ll learn how to overcome objections without coming across as too salesy. Also, you know that old infomercial trick, “But wait… there’s more!”? Well, it works. And from Christina, you’ll learn how to close deals by making irresistible offers and attractive money-back guarantees. Worried you’re not a great writer? Listen for Christina’s advice on hiring a copywriter. Also, whether it’s a landing page, direct mail piece, or Facebook ad, Christina reveals how split-testing different versions will get you an optimal result. In fact, she used this strategy to drive sales in her own business, comfyearrings.com. Warning: this episode could change the way you think about marketing. Check it out, and subscribe to the show so you won’t miss an episode! In This Episode We Cover: What is copywriting? How Christina got into it The types of copywriter Figuring out your target market How to determine if content should be focused on facts or emotions The So-What test? Starting her own business Where to find copywriters How to become better at copywriting The creative P.S. Why you want to tell stories And SO much more! Links from the Show BiggerPockets American Writers and Artists Inc. LinkedIn Upwork Duluth Trading Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A data-driven approach. Cutting-edge technology. A rethinking of the traditional corporate reporting structure. We’re willing to bet you wouldn’t associate these concepts with surfing. But Ru Hill is not an ordinary surfer. He’s a scientifically-minded entrepreneur who has used these ingredients to build an extraordinary business called Surf Simply in Nosara, Costa Rica. In this episode, Ru reflects on why more than 30% of his guests are repeat visitors (that’s 10X the industry average!) and reveals how he’s been able to improve the customer experience by focusing less on the customer… and more on his 35 team members. You’ll be blown away by Ru’s explanation of the Peter Principle and how he’s avoided this trap by doing away with a hierarchical reporting structure. He also explains why paying someone more doesn’t necessarily improve their performance. And listen up for the one thing entrepreneurs often get wrong about social media marketing. So, with guests on a 12-month waiting list, Ru plans to massively scale—right? Listen all the way through to hear what he plans to do next. And subscribe so you won’t miss a show! In This Episode We Cover: How Ru got started on his business and story behind it What A/B testing is and how it's helped him What artists should do at a young age Tips for finding the right employees His secret to getting repeat customers How to find the right coaches Why he doesn't do performance-based pay Whether you should scale a business or not The factors that make a satisfying life And SO much more! Links from the Show BiggerPockets BiggerPockets Money Podcast Gensler Study showing close relationships are what truly makes people happy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices