Building a Business that Lasts

In this episode, I meet with Dr. Jason Lewis, owner of Bartram Dental Center. Dr. Lewis started the office in 2005, with the goal of operating a little differently than the typical medical practice. While dental care is their passion, the staff also emphasizes doing fun things and enjoying life together. Jason and I go in depth on his beginnings in the dental industry and how he overcame the stresses of managing a new practice. We also examine how family and fun are such important components of running a successful business.Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

The construction industry is one that constantly changes depending on the state of the economy. It’s important for a construction company to be able to adjust to the fluctuating market in order to stay afloat and stand the test of time. Today’s interview is with Richard Hardy, owner of The Hardy Group. His company has been around for more than 30 years, and continues to be one of Northeast Florida’s most successful builders. Richard and I discuss running a business and what it’s like to survive through the ups and downs of an unpredictable economic climate.Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

A CPA firm isn't the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to innovative, distributed team, but that's exactly the case with Jody Grunden from Summit CPA. They took a simple idea of helping businesses with their finances to growing into a virtual CFO company that services all types of companies around the country. Did I mention that one of their core values is humor? If you ahve a remote team or are interested in things like core values and people, you don't want to miss this episode.Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

It's hard to imagine going through another hurricane within less than a year, but that's what's happened in St. Augustine, Florida this week, home of Herbie Wiles Insurance. This interview was recorded before Hurricane Irma but provides valuable insight into growing a business that lasts through all types of storms, economies, and business environments.Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

Allan Branch is the co-founder of Less Everything (lesseverything.com) — along with a lot of other side ventures. He's done everything from software design to videography, to conferences and more. His early conferences included speakers like Jason Fried and Gary Vaynerchuk before they were "huge." In this episode we talk about the fact that business doesn't need to be whatever everyone else says, we talk about charting your own course and living a life that fits your dreams, not the dreams of others. Shortly after this was recorded, Allan's business partner, Steve Bristol, who was known by some as Steph, ended life on August 7th. When you hear Allan talk about his business partner on this podcast, it's even more heartbreaking to learn of the loss. After talking with Allan, we decided to launch this episode in memory and if you're interested in helping, please visit the You Caring page to help the children who are left behind along with their mother: https://www.youcaring.com/kimberlybristol-903877Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

Matt Baker is the President and CEO of ThompsonBaker Agency in St. Augustine, Florida. They have been in business for nearly a century! Matt started with the agency in 1998 and became partner in 2002. We talk about working into a business with family roots, growing a business through all seasons, and recovering from Hurricane Matthew (as we prepare for the possibility of Hurricane Irma).Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

On this episode, Richard Banfield shares his decades of business experience in all kinds of areas including growing a team while maintaining culture, understanding how internal disruptions in your company can create growth, and what's learned from going through sessions of working with your cell phone on your pillow. Richard Banfield is the CEO and Co-Founder of Boston-Based User Experience Agency Fresh Tilled Soil and Author of multiple books including Design Sprint, Product Leadership, and Design Leadership.Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

This episode mixes things up a bit by bringing two guests into the discussion. We stray a bit from the typical business conversation and talk more about marriage, children, and how family fits into growing a successful career. The "work/life balance" seems to be a constant question for people building businesses and this episode does a lot to hit on those areas of interest. Beth & Tracy Upchurch both have hugely successful careers, not to mention having four grown children and a marriage that flourishing after decades. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of folks we want to hear from!Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

Todd Neville is the Managing Partner at Neville Wainio CPAs and the Vice-Mayor of St. Augustine, Florida. Todd shares his insights on growing into a firm, becoming a partner, hiring the right team members, and preparing your business to survive the toughest of situations — even a hurricane! We even spend some time talking about "working with millennials" and what we really think about the next generation in the work force.Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com

On this episode, I talk with Brad Layland, CEO of The Focus Group and Endless Summer Realty. Brad shares unique stories of entrepreneurship that range from a bubble gum business, to how Donald Trump and The Apprentice gave him a revelation about the real estate business. Brad also shares personal stories on how he's worked to arrange his life around priorities like Faith and Family in a way that could have a great impact on others. One of the key books he mentions in this interview is Living Forward by Micheal Hyatt.Send us a textSupport the showListen to other episodes and see videos of the podcast at http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com