The Friday Habit

On this episode of The Friday Habit, successful entrepreneur Kevin Urrutia continues his conversation with Mark and Ben from the previous episode, so go back and listen to that episode if you missed it! Kevin describes the thought process that led him to get into e-commerce after the cleaning company he was running got to a certain sustainable point and he wanted to gain some new experience in a different field. He started out selling outdoor gear but realized that the barriers to entry were so low that he was facing a lot of competition, so he recruited the help of his architect brother to design a luggage line called Chester Travels. This business had a much higher barrier to entry and requires more capital to be tied up in inventory, but he has found that the profit margin is higher than his cleaning company which only requires payment when there is a job but relies entirely on people, who are unpredictable.Kevin and his friend Wilson have worked on business ideas together for their whole adult life, but Voy Media was their first partnership. They launched it to connect with other founders and open up conversations about all of their combined knowledge and experience to package up content that people would want. They are still working out the details of how to make this an educational company that will provide value to current and aspiring founders. Kevin says that one of the biggest pitfalls that leaders fall into is wanting everyone around them to be like them, when there is incredible value in surrounding yourself with team members that bring different perspectives and strengths to the table. So rather than looking for people who think and act like he does, Kevin focuses on hiring people with raw intelligence and good problem-solving skills because if they have both of these skills, they will be able to handle anything thrown their way. He emphasizes the importance of curiosity in all of life, having that drive to figure out what you don’t know or don’t know how to do yet. Finally, he encourages entrepreneurs to remember that your passion for the end result should drive you and that you don’t have to love everything you do as long as you have that passion. Links: “Measure What Matters” by John Doerr: https://www.amazon.com/Measure-What-Matters-Google-Foundation/dp/0525536221“The Great CEO Within” by Matt Mochary: https://www.amazon.com/Great-CEO-Within-Tactical-Building-ebook/dp/B07ZLGQZYC Connect with Kevin:https://chestertravels.com/https://voymedia.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/urrutiahttps://twitter.com/danest?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/ https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark talk with Kevin Urrutia, co-founder of Voy Media in NYC and many startups along the way. Kevin went to school for computer science and started a web development consulting business by generating leads through Craigslist. When he graduated, he got a job in Silicon Valley working for Mint.com, but he knew within a month that this 9-5 structured work culture was not what he wanted, so he jumped ship to work for a startup called Zaarly. This was the perfect situation for him and he was even able to continue working remotely when he moved back to New York until he realized that his heart wasn’t in it anymore. All this time, he had been building startups with varying levels of success and now that he was back in New York City, he and his buddy decided to put all of their experience to work building a cleaning company organized by online scheduling. They hired their own maids from Craigslist and paid them only when they had work for them, and this model has worked great for them over the past 5 years. They have expanded to several different areas of NYC as well as Chicago and Boston. Kevin explains that their keys to success were having a phone number, having local web pages, and optimizing their SEO. They have also acquired smaller companies to give them more market share.Be sure to come back next week for the conclusion of our conversation with Kevin! Connect with Kevin:https://voymedia.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/urrutiahttps://twitter.com/danest Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/ https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben shares his 5 practices that will make you a better leader in the hopes that they will be an encouragement to you and will be spurred on in your influence of those around you. 1.     Learn your weaknesses – This is how you will grow and come to trust those around you to fill in the gaps. Be vulnerable about what you need and what you expect from others that will allow you to play to your strengths.2.     Define your “why” – You will work the hardest for what you care about. Once you have this passion defined, you will be able to identify what fits and what doesn’t.3.     Make concrete goals – They should be specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound. This is a way of making the invisible visible.4.     Listen to your team – Learn to trust your team or they will stop buying in to your mission. Create space to listen to them, perhaps during a weekly meeting, and know that frontline workers are going to be the closest to the problems.5.     Stay curious – Commit to lifelong learning through podcasts, masterminds, audiobooks, networking, and video content. It is easy to be distracted or overwhelmed, but if you are not growing, you’re dying.Your action item after this episode is to learn your weaknesses and take the assessment at https://www.16personalities.com. Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/ https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

In this episode of The Friday Habit, Mark provides 5 of the top ways to be a more positive person. It has been proven time and again that your emotions have the power to change your body at a cellular level, so here are a few techniques to ensure that those are positive changes rather than negative.Have a lens of positivity – Let your first reaction to any situation be to ask yourself “What is this trying to teach me?” Even when you can’t control the circumstances, you can control how you respond to them. You can choose to make the best of it, and you will likely find that things weren’t as bad as they seemed when you look back.Be grateful – Many people spend some time every morning thinking about or writing down a list of things they are grateful for. It is hard to be negative when you are aware of how many things in your life are going well, even the simplest things.Get enough sleep and exercise – Set routines for yourself to ensure that you go to bed at a reasonable time and you have time set aside in your day to exercise, even if it is just taking a break to walk outside during the workday. There are physical and mental benefits to getting 6 or more hours of sleep per night as well as through the release of endorphins during exercise.Look to gain experiences more than possessions – You never look back on material things with joy, but memorable experiences are always worth it. Your kids won’t remember what you gave them for their 8th birthdays, but they will remember the road trip you took as a family.Help others – Acts of kindness have a way of positively impacting the people you are serving as well as boosting your own satisfaction and happiness. You can’t be negative while helping people and gaining a better perspective on how fortunate you are in life.Your action item after this episode is to integrate gratitude into your routine, writing down a list of things you are grateful for every day.Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark discuss lead magnets, the tools that allow you to trade something of value to the consumer for their email address. Even with social media dominating the digital landscape, email is still the most cost-effective method of communication for lead generation, so what should you be doing to tap into this power?1.     E-book2.     Self-evaluation checklist3.     Access to a free online course4.     A series of helpful emails sent weekly5.     Access to a private Facebook or Slack group6.     Mythbuster PDF7.     Access to a single how-to video8.     5-day video series9.     Spreadsheet-based tool10.  Free quiz with results sent via email11.  Specialized interactive calculator – Calculoid is a great resource for this.12.  Fill out worksheets 13.  Access to a free webinar – Just make sure the content is interesting and not only a sales pitch.14.  Cheat sheet15.  Free demo or sampleWhen thinking through which lead magnet would be a good starting place for you, consider this question: “What is the first step someone needs to take before they are ready to hire you?” Here are 4 key criteria for finding the right one for you:·       Something your audience actually wants – You could ask your current clients for their input on this.·       Something closely related to your product or business·       Something that you have the skill to create·       Something that will build trust, be a good experience for the consumer, and be usefulNow that you have decided which lead magnet to use, make sure you have your basic sales funnel systematized. Your next steps could look something like this:1.     Trigger an automatic email to welcome/thank them for joining2.     Add them to your mailing list3.     Follow up with a personal video response4.     Invite them to take the next action5.     Set them up in a drip campaign of a series of emailsConnect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/ https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

You’ve heard people talk about their mastermind groups before, but maybe you’ve just assumed that you aren’t “big” enough to be a part of one. Or, maybe you’ve never been invited, or perhaps you don’t know what’s in it for you. In this episode of The Friday Habit podcast, Ben and Mark break down for you the benefits and how-tos of creating your mastermind.A mastermind group typically consists of 4-8 participants who are in a similar industry or stage of personal or professional life who meet regularly. So, what could you gain from being a part of a mastermind?Gain an outside perspective – Sometimes, all you need is to get out of your own head and get someone else’s take on your challenge or dilemma. It is even better if that person has knowledge of your business and your previous endeavors.Make learning automatic – By having people in your group who are above and below you in terms of experience in certain situations, you have a built-in community that can help you learn as you go.Achieve more goals – Accountability is key in accomplishing any goals, and this group provides that opportunity.Build strong friendships – Spending time with each other and discussing your goals and accomplishments will lead to an enhanced community that could extend beyond business.If you are considering starting your own mastermind group, here are a few suggestions for getting started:Make a list of people to addSet up a group meeting to discuss the potential of starting a groupEstablish ground rules such as meeting timing, adding new members, attendance expectations, etc.Add a recurring event on your calendarSet up a shared Google Doc for resources and/or a Slack channelStay organized and consistentYour action items after this episode are to make a list of people to add to your mastermind and set up a group call.Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

Delegating is a buzzword that is overused and underutilized in business. In this episode of The Friday Habit, we will outline five tips to using delegation effectively to help you accomplish more, serve more customers, and make more profits.1. Identify what can be delegated – Ask yourself these questions:Is this something that only I can do?Is this the best use of my time and energy?Can someone else do this?What should I be doing?2. Delegate to the right person – Try to match up the task with someone based on their skills, interests, experience, capacity, and career goals. Chances are, you have someone on your team who is looking for a challenge in the exact area you need to release some responsibilities.3. Provide clear direction – Define the goal or the “why” behind the task. Set expectations for the output, in terms of the effort and time commitment expected. Be available for questions.4. Stay organized – To be able to delegate tasks, you should have all of the relevant information in one place, such as a project management system, so you can easily pass it off to someone else.5. Make delegation a team effort – Communicate with your team. Discuss why and how you are planning to implement more delegation and encourage others to do the same. Ask for feedback regarding the tasks you are planning to delegate. Give them the freedom to call you out if you try to pick those tasks back up again. A great avenue for this is a brief weekly meeting.Your action item after this episode is to schedule a 30-minute meeting with your team to discuss the goals of delegating certain tasks and solicit feedback about how everyone could implement delegation where appropriate.Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

This episode is the second part of Mark and Ben’s conversation with Allan Langer, an expert in the field of pricing and how to sell more by selling less. Ben asks Allan about the best ways to delegate some of the selling to other team members so you can focus on other things. Allan explains the importance of having a sales philosophy that can be easily enumerated, absorbed, and replicated by your team members. He also says that even after this pandemic is over and things go “back to normal,” Zoom will continue to be a vital resource and should replace any phone calls you were previously scheduling with your clients. Allan explains most of the time when a client says, “we’ll get back to you,” that either means that they are not the right person to make the decision or they are nervous about spending the money. To make people feel more comfortable about making a purchase, Allan recommends some form of social proofing, showing them that other people “like them” have recently made this purchase or that you have helped business just like theirs before. It also helps if you involve the client in the process, being upfront about your pricing from the beginning and allowing them to “build their own” product and choose which options are best for them. In your conversations with them, make sure you emphasize the added value and how your product or service will specifically help them, focusing on the return on their investment.Some people might say that these strategies are manipulative because you are forming your strategy around the psychology of the human brain and how it has been proven to react to certain things. But all you are really doing is giving them what makes them feel better and improve their lives by getting the right thing in their hands. To learn more about Allan’s strategies, be sure to check out his book!Connect with Allan:https://allanger.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Selling-More-Less-Reinventing/dp/1794315497 Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

Allan Langer, the bestselling author of “The 7 Secrets to Selling More by Selling Less," joins Ben and Mark on this episode of The Friday Habit. Allan has committed his career to understand and teach about pricing psychology and consumer behavior, and his insights could be game-changers for entrepreneurs and business owners. Allan has found that most decision-makers come up with their pricing based on a computer-generated algorithm or a formula they have created to get them their desired profit margin. However, what if this method is severely undercutting the margins you could be making if you had a pricing strategy? You have probably noticed that most prices end in the number nine, but did you know that this practice is grounded on research that shows that consumers feel good about paying for products or services ending in nine? They haven’t been able to determine why, but repeated studies have shown this result. A second pricing strategy that Allan recommends is to always provide your clients with three-tiered options. You could use the movie theater popcorn example of a small for $5, a medium for $7.50, or a large for $8.00. By making the large only slightly more expensive than the medium, you are positioning it as the best option psychologically, which will make your customer feel good about their purchase from the beginning. You can sell with integrity and still get the client to choose the option that is best for both of you. In regards to determining your pricing strategy from the start, Allan says it is imperative to decide what you’re worth and stick with it. Do good work, and don’t devalue your services just to attract the “price shoppers." You don’t want to work with them anyway. Come back next week for the conclusion of our conversation with Allan!Connect with Allan:https://allanger.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Selling-More-Less-Reinventing/dp/1794315497 Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

In this episode of The Friday Habit, Mark and Ben share why and how to effectively conduct quarterly check-in meetings with each of your team members, including the benefits this can bring to your business. Essentially, check-ins are pre-arranged, lasting approximately an hour. Check-in meetings offer opportunities to discuss how things are going, provide feedback, and meet with each employee individually.So why do you need to implement this practice into your business?These meetings provide a space for intentionally staying connected with your team by building this communication time into your structures and culture.When employees know you are setting aside this time and ask them how things are going, they are more likely to provide honest feedback than they would have without this structured time.It is a great opportunity to review job descriptions with each team member. This will ensure their actual job functions align with what is written in their job description, and you can discuss any adjustments that need to be made.Most businesses conduct annual performance reviews (if they conduct them at all), but quarterly meetings are much more effective for true performance evaluations in a less intense environment.How should you implement this structure for the first time?Give your employees a heads-up that this will be coming before scheduling a meeting on their calendar.Set expectations for honest and clear communication.Establish a performance review chart and communicate the criteria ahead of time. Perhaps send a blank chart to each employee a week prior to their quarterly check-in. This will allow them to do some self-evaluation and then compare notes during your meeting.Recognize each team member’s strong and weak areas verbally during the check-in.Prepare a list of general questions to lead the discussion.Discuss any necessary pay raises, responsibility shifts, and job title changes as well as their career plans and how those align (or don’t align) with those of the company long-term.Be humble and receptive to their feedback, and then do what you say you are going to do.Your action item after this episode is to implement these quarterly check-ins by communicating the purpose to your team and then schedule them.Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/