Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast

For Small Businesses, making the sale is only half the battle. How we handle things after the sale is crucial to developing customer loyalty and encouraging repeat buyers. Today on the Small Business Show, your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss four after-sale situations where you have a chance to impress your customer, build that loyalty and earn their repeat business for life. We take a deep dive into each of these four after-sale factors: CommunicationShipping and PackagingReturnsWarranty Claims Join us and hear how you can turn each of these after-sale situations into opportunities to impress your customers by putting a smile on their faces and turning a potential negative situation into a positive experience. We wrap up the show with another installment of Small Business Therapy where it’s Dave’s turn to talk about some of the issues he is having implementing video into his companies workflow. Listen in, then visit the Small Business Support Group to share your thoughts, ask questions and connect with other Small Business owners! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #233 for Wednesday, July 24, 2019 00:00:53 Intro: The Power of “No” vs. FOMO! 00:03:35 Today: after the sale opportunities 00:04:23 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year 00:07:06 Hidden opportunities in customer contact 00:08:10 Opportunity: Post-sale emails Klaviyo.com 00:16:56 SPONSOR: go.co – Get online with your .CO domain today. Register for just $5 and get 3 months of website builder and hosting services FREE at go.co/sbs. 00:18:49 Opportunity: Shipping and Packaging Spend some time with your box Sticker Giant NewEgg.com’s Boxes 00:24:34 Challenge: Digital businesses, what can you send to your customers? 00:26:52 Pitch the incentive! 00:28:57 Opportunity: Returns and Warranties “Set policy and procedure based upon your best customer” 00:33:53 feedback@businessshow.co 00:34:08 Small Business Therapy: Dave and his videos. 00:37:49 SBS 233 Outtro businessshow.co/reviews The post Building Customer Loyalty and Repeat Buyers – Small Business Show 233 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

One of the most challenging times when developing a new product or service or when starting a new business is when you are close to being ready to launch. You are at the 80-90% completion point, but you just want to make a few changes, add another feature, run one more test.  This is the point where things can go terribly wrong. That feature you want to add, that change you want to make, that test you want to run, those things can derail the entire process and stop you from succeeding.  On this episode of the Small Business Show, your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean share tips and techniques for powering through this “last mile” to deliver an MVP by not letting yourself get derailed by perfection. Join us and discover what has worked for us, then come share what has worked for you on the Small Business Support Group! Chapters/Timestamp: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #232 for Wednesday, July 17, 2019 00:01:03 Beware Customer Tunnel-Vision SaneBox 00:06:44 SPONSOR: Linode. Instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. Get a server running in seconds with your choice of Linux distro, resources, and choice of 10 node locations. Visit Linode.com/SBS and use promo code sbs2019 to start with a $20 credit. 00:08:37 Minimum Viable Product: Powering Through the Last Mile 00:09:30 Perfect is the enemy of good 00:10:43 Embracing the fear of change Embrace iteration 00:15:44 Define the MVP and Define future versions The “Wouldn’t It Be Great If” board 00:20:55 Fostering a culture of change 00:22:19 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS and get the “25 Timeless Principles of Exceptional Businesses” e-book free! 00:24:02 SPONSOR: go.co – Get online with your .CO domain today. Register for just $5 and get 3 months of website builder and hosting services FREE at go.co/sbs. 00:25:16 Stagnation of Perfection 00:26:19 Managing the risk of launching imperfection 00:29:03 Plan for a soft launch 00:29:50 Communicate humility 00:31:14 Humility lets you take more risk 00:33:06 “We’re building decks, we’re not building a piano” 00:34:34 Accept sunk costs Beware the Nirvana fallacy 00:35:30 Shannon’s Current Status 00:40:33 SBS 232 Outtro The post Delivering a Minimally Viable Product – Small Business Show 232 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Are you maxing out rewards programs for hotels, airlines and credit card companies for your Small Business? You should be and today on the Small Business Show we share a few examples of why you’re missing out on some big benefits if you ignore these programs. Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for another episode of tips, advice, and strategies to help your Small Business. After our discussion of rewards programs, we share a concept of using an independent third party to vet potential business partners. This novel concept could save you headaches down the road. We then jump into the topic of creating a sexual harassment policy to protect your employees as well as your business. Listen in to learn about what constitutes sexual harassment, how to implement an anti-harassment policy that includes a clear communication path to report problems and to enforce violations. These topics and much more today on episode 231 of the Small Business Show. Enjoy the show, then visit the Small Business Support Group to continue the discussion, ask questions and share your own experiences. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #231 for Wednesday, July 10, 2019 00:01:09 On deck today: Rewards Programs, Vetting Potential Partners, and Sexual Harassment 00:02:12 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year 00:04:00 Pro Tip: Join rewards programs. 00:10:36 SPONSOR: go.co – Get online with your .CO domain today. Register for just $5 and get 3 months of website builder and hosting services FREE at go.co/sbs. 00:12:03 Have a potential partner’s finances reviewed confidentially BottomLine Personal Working Agreement 00:17:47 Feedback@BusinessShow.co 00:18:19 Question: Ronnie-Protecting Your Business Against Sexual Harassment 00:18:55 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS to apply for free today and find out if there’s a board seat available in your area! 00:20:47 Answer: Ronnie-Protecting Your Business Against Sexual Harassment EOC: Facts about Sexual Harassment EOC: Q&A about Sexual Harassment Template for Sexual Harassment Policy Important: Procedure for how to make a complaint Be aware of the “creepiness” factor Have a strong communication system available in your company State Laws for Sexual Harassment Policies Sexual Harassment Insurance Policy Sexual Harassment Training Online courses and training for you and employees – about $30 per person. Could be the best money you’ll ever spend 00:37:54 SBS 231 Outtro Leave us a review! The post Rewards Programs, Vetting Potential Partners, and Sexual Harassment – Small Business Show 231 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Continuing with our series on subscription-based businesses, we’ve been fortunate to meet some very smart folks that have started or transitioned to a subscription model for their product or service. This week, we get to learn from a founder that created a business to help others succeed in the software and subscription market. Paddle was Co-Founded in 2012 by Christian Owens and we’re thrilled to have him with us today to learn about Paddle and his own journey as a Founder. Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they learn how Christian started his first company at 14 where he learned about connecting with others in the business community for help and how to leverage his youth to get support. Listen in to hear how Christian and his Co-Founder Harrison Rose created Paddle to solve the back-end headaches that subscription services can cause. Everything from licensing and bug reports to payment management can be handled by Paddle. There’s some great tips and advice that you don’t want to miss on this episode of the Small Business Show. Enjoy the show, then click over to the Small Business Support Group to continue the discussion! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #230 for Wednesday, July 3, 2019 00:01:02 Christian Owens from Paddle Paddle.com 00:02:50 Gotta make an invoice! 00:04:56 Started with MacBundleBox and met everyone in the Mac space 00:06:53 Learning at your own speed vs. someone else’s 00:08:35 Leveraging the power of being young 00:10:08 SPONSOR: go.co – Get online with your .CO domain today. Register for just $5 and get 3 months of website builder and hosting services FREE at go.co/sbs. 00:11:17 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year 00:12:30 Looking at Paddle Paddle Co-founder Harrison Rose 00:16:20 Reinventing your business for larger customers 00:19:22 Ask for Advice, Get Money 00:23:20 Hire people that are better than you 00:24:54 I want to be my first customer 00:26:44 A partnership that makes sense Oleksandr Kosovan from MacPaw and DevMate  00:31:20 Growing too quickly … surprise! Kickstarter for Macaw, the Code-Savvy Web Design Tool Macaw.co 00:34:36 Managing your employees… and their expectations 00:38:50 Have patience and ask for help! 00:40:52 SBS 230 Outtro Paddle.com Chistian Owens on Instagram  The post Interview with Christian Owens Co-Founder of Paddle – Small Business Show 230 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Developing positive habits and minimizing negative habits is important for you AND for your employees. By breaking down our larger goals into small tasks and habits, we can shift the focus away from willpower and motivation to small steps, habits that lead us down the path to our ultimate goal of world domination. “Habits​ ​are​ ​the​ ​underlying​ ​driving​ ​force​ ​of​ ​either​ ​success​ ​or​ ​failure—and​ ​greatness or​ ​mediocrity.” On this episode of the Small Business Show your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton use the “Stack” metaphor to see how we can create positive habits, while burying negative ones. And remember, you can use these tactics to help yourself, as well as your employees or contractors. Habits impact your entire organization – think about how customer service issues are resolved at your company. Surely there are good and bad habits involved in that process? We delve into why we fall into habits, why rewards are the key to changing bad habits and promoting positive habits to the top of your stack. Make a habit of listening each week for all this and more! Then, join us on the Small Business Support Group to share your stories and ask questions. If you enjoy the show each week, please take a moment to leave a review for us. It only takes a few minutes and it really helps. Thanks! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #229 for Wednesday, June 26, 2019 00:00:59 New website feedback to feedback@businessshow.co 00:01:33 Polling you to tell us what you like 00:02:15 You’re allowed to be terrible! 00:04:59 Solving Grammar Problems Grammarly Pro tip: Read it aloud 00:08:26 Break down your goals into habits 00:09:50 “Habits​ ​are​ ​the​ ​underlying​ ​driving​ ​force​ ​of​ ​either​ ​success​ ​or​ ​failure—and​ ​greatness or​ ​mediocrity.” 00:10:53 Be actively aware of your habits 00:14:04 Watch the gossip The Four Agreements 00:17:56 SPONSOR: CLEAR. CLEAR is the absolute BEST way to get through airport security. It works great with Pre-Check too! Get two months free at ClearMe.com/Business using code BUSINESS now. 00:20:30 SPONSOR: Linode. Instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. Get a server running in seconds with your choice of Linux distro, resources, and choice of 10 node locations. Visit Linode.com/SBS and use promo code sbs2019 to start with a $20 credit. 00:22:50 Make a habit list 00:26:10 Want time to start a business? Cancel your Netflix 00:29:19 Change the temptation 00:30:41 Work on one habit at a time Small Business Show – Inner Judge 00:33:00 Give yourself permission to fail 00:34:21 SBS 229 Outtro SBS Reviews The post Creating a Habit Stack – Small Business Show 229 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Are Podcasts a good marketing tool for your Small Business? Can you connect with your customers on a different level by hosting your own Podcast and if so, how do you get started? Join us today on this episode of the Small Business Show to find out about this topic and more. Podcasts are increasingly popular. Over 51% of the US population has listened to a Podcast and 31% of the population have listened to a Podcast in the last month. 62 million people listen to Podcasts each week. One of the key aspects of Podcast success is the niche audience. There are over 750,000 Podcasts out there with most covering very specific topics. You know we believe that the riches are in the niches. A Podcast is a new way to connect with your existing and potential customers – not everyone has time to read your blog posts, and not everyone is following you on social media. Join us today and hear your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss how to get started, what topics to discuss and much more. Listen in and then join us at the Small Business Show support group to ask questions and to share your own tips. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #228 for Wednesday, June 19, 2019 00:01:35 Beginner’s Mind Edison’s Podcast Research Tom Webster at Edison Research 00:03:27 The Business of Podcasting vs. Adding Podcasting to Your Business 00:05:39 Podcasting, a new way to connect with your existing audience 00:07:26 A co-host as a consistency partner 00:10:02 Your podcast adds authenticity to your business 00:12:09 Share your stories 00:13:51 Wrangle your schedule with seasons 00:15:12 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS to apply for free today and find out if there’s a board seat available in your area! 00:17:08 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year 00:18:42 Talk about your history and your team 00:20:55 Shannon-On-The-Spot Rebound on Poshmark 00:23:19 Make sure to do video 00:24:35 Just get started! 00:25:31 Podcasting is your safe place 00:27:06 Please leave us a review! businessshow.co/review 00:27:55 GG 228 Outtro Links mentioned in this episode:  How to Start a PodcastPodcasting for BeginnersAn Insiders Guide to PodcastingThe post Using a Podcast as a Marketing Tool – Small Business Show 228 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

We constantly talk about maximizing our time on the Small Business Show and how using our time wisely is one of the key aspects of being successful as a Small Business owner. Automating processes and using tools to manage repetitive actions is part of a system to increase your productivity each day. Today, we get a chance to talk with Greg Scown, Co-Founder of Smile, creators of life-changing and time-saving software applications like PDFpen and TextExpander. You’ll recognize TextExpander as a frequent sponsor of the show and software that both of your hosts use daily.  Join Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as we try not to geek-out over one of our favorite pieces of software and focus on the business story of Smile and how they have found success by focusing on the productivity niche while transitioning one of their core products to a subscription model. There are some great lessons about communication, customer service and authenticity in Greg and Smiles story. Listen in and then visit the Small Business Support Group to ask questions or share your own story. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #227 for Wednesday, June 12, 2019 00:01:17 Greg Scown from Smile 00:02:13 The Apps Came First! 00:03:27 PageSender Fax Software ships in April 2002 00:04:06 Meeting Philip Gower and DiscLabel 00:05:14 PDFpen: The Riches are in The Niches 00:06:53 Stick with your goal 00:07:40 Accepting and Letting Go of an Eroding Product 00:08:45 Be Honest with Your Customers 00:09:23 TextExpander goes to a Subscription Model 00:14:08 The Business case of Subscriptions 00:15:21 When you see change coming, go there first 00:16:09 SPONSOR: Linode. Instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. Get a server running in seconds with your choice of Linux distro, resources, and choice of 10 node locations. Visit Linode.com/SBS and use promo code sbs2019 to start with a $20 credit. 00:18:50 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS to apply for free today and find out if if there’s a board seat available in your area! 00:20:09 Sustainability 00:20:42 Best mistake: Over-committing to yourself 00:24:16 Be less diverse: don’t hire jerks 00:25:17 Podcast sponsorships to build a business 00:26:51 Ask your customers “Where did you hear about us?” 00:28:03 “Generally our Experiments run Six to Twelve Months” 00:29:45 “Love and Respect Your Customers and They Will Love and Respect You Back” 00:30:16 SBS 227 Outtro SmileSoftware.com @SmileSoftware The post Interview with Greg Scown of Smile Software – Small Business Show 227 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

What’s in a name? Everything when it comes to your company or brand! As founders, owners, and stewards of Small Businesses, we all know how important your company or brand name is. Joining us today on the Small Business Show, Mike Pile, Founder of Uppercase Branding discusses his own business as well as sharing tips and methods for coming up with great names. Mike discusses how prioritizing tasks and projects when you are the boss can be one of the most challenging adjustments after leaving a corporate job, along with being sure to disconnect at the end of the day to keep your creative juices flowing. We then move on to discussing how Uppercase got its start and what marketing methods worked the best for them. You might be surprised to hear what traditional methods produced the best results. Later on the show, we spend time talking about how to come up with a great name for your business or brand with some examples of good and bad. Listen in to your co-hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean and then post your comments and questions to our Small Business Support Group on Facebook! (Original broadcast date: March 15, 2017) Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #226 for Wednesday, June 5, 2019 00:00:25 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year 00:01:50 An Interview with Mike Pyle, Founder of Uppercase Branding Mike Pile from Uppercase Branding joins us today “Verbal Identity Consultancy” Pulling out stories from companies Prioritizing tasks and projects Being your own boss: scary and liberating Disconnecting to keep your creativity flowing Marketing YOUR B2B Marketing business – using existing connections A gift in the mail “Brainstorming is a waste of time” Strategy and discovery “A great name won’t help a bad business model” A bad name can be a distraction Vetting your name is just as valuable as creating one Norman Awards – Great new brand names. “Adwash” – Samsung. Not so good: “Scion” – Hotels Set a big stretch goal 00:33:41 SBS 226 Outtro The post Branding and Naming Strategies with Mike Pile of Uppercase Branding – Small Business Show 226 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Using persuasion techniques when working with customers and your employees can help everyone get the results they want. Specifically, using Pacing and Leading can help you build empathy and create a connection between people that then allows you to achieve a positive outcome. “Pacing builds trust because people see you as being the same as them. After pacing, a persuader can then lead, and the subject will be comfortable following.” – Scott Adams Join us today on the Small Business Show to hear your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss using Pacing in a positive fashion to achieve positive results with customers, employees, and vendors. You’ll learn what Pacing and Leading is and why it’s an important tool to add to your Small Business Toolbox. Hear real-world examples to get your negotiations on the same side of the table, how Pacing is part of the Two Tokens method of resolving customer service problems and much more. Listen in to this episode, then share your own story at the Small Business Support Group! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #225 for Wednesday, May 29, 2019 00:01:00 Fake it ‘Til You Make It 00:02:51 Rooting for Success 00:05:24 “Pacing Builds Trust” 00:07:07 Pacing with Commonalities 00:10:08 Verbal Cues Build Credibility 00:11:52 Pacing to build trust is ok because you’re trustworthy 00:15:06 Creating Circular Process 00:16:35 SPONSOR: Linode. Instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. Get a server running in seconds with your choice of Linux distro, resources, and choice of 10 node locations. Visit Linode.com/SBS and use promo code sbs2019 to start with a $20 credit. 00:19:19 Jean-Louis Gassee’s Two Tokens of Customer Service 00:23:03 The long-term is circular 00:24:35 Invoke empathy – “I know how frustrating this can be” 00:25:13 Rehearse Your Small Talk 00:29:00 Ask Questions First! 00:31:27 Connections are the key to success 00:31:52 SBS 225 Outtro The post Positive Influence by Pacing and Leading – Small Business Show 225 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Being proactive when communicating with your customers helps to build trust and credibility. What happens when your customers find out about bad news before you tell them? Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for this episode of the Small Business Show to hear a great example of what NOT to do when things go wrong. Dave shares his experience with poor communication that literally stopped a company from being able to do business in his local area. And of course, Shannon adds to the tale with his own experience with this business, but from an entirely different perspective. Oh, and it involves beer, which is always a good thing. We then jump into a discussion about the right and wrong way to try to promote tie-in sales of, let’s just say, somewhat related businesses. You’ll hear why considering your demographic for one service before you try to promote a different product to that audience is critical to success, along with some other tips about growing your customer base. There’s a lot more to learn and we couldn’t think of a better way to allocate 32-minutes of time for your ears. We also want to hear from YOU! Contact us and comment at the Small Business Support Group. Thanks for listening! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #224 for Wednesday, May 22, 2019 00:01:05 Learning Languages and Instruments 00:03:00 CAPTCHA and RE-CAPTCHA 00:04:41 Hopsy’s Reaction to DICOM’s Shutdown 00:11:00 Beware your own optimism! 00:11:51 Contact Your Customers Order Beer from The-Sub 00:17:09 Desperation or Disconnect? 00:19:12 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year 00:21:54 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS to apply for free today and find out if if there’s a board seat available in your area! 00:23:57 The New York Times vs. The Daily Podcast and Subscriptions feedback@businessshow.co 00:29:45 Creative Engagement Solutions How I Built This 00:31:44 You Can Learn from Everything and Everyone 00:32:26 SBS 224 Outtro The post Communicating with Customers and Cross Promoting – Small Business Show 224 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.