Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast

Are you a Closer? On the Small Business Show, we often say that all business owners are in the Customer Service business – but, we’re also in the Sales business. Wether you’re selling a product or service, you’ve got to sell to make your business grow. This week on the Small Business Show, you’ll get to hear the story of Ryan Stewman, Founder of HardcoreCloser.com. Ryan is an incredibly enthusiastic sales trainer and motivator that has overcome numerous obstacles to create a successful business that helps others succeed. Listen in to learn how Ryan started out washing cars and moved up to selling mortgages before the “Police kicked in the door” and everything came to a screeching halt. Keeping motivated and overcoming adversity propelled Ryan and before long he was back on top and running his own company. As the Founder of Hardcore Closer,  Ryan teaches salespeople and business owners how to succeed using social media, the sales funnel concept and all about grinding-it-out everyday to create the life you deserve. You’ll hear about going from $25 a week to $20-50,000 per month in Facebook ads and what that gets you, along with what Ryan wishes he would have done sooner as a Small Business owner. Join us today on the Small Business Show to listen to a guy who has dedicated his life to “creating millionaires” and then click over to the Small Business Support Group to comment and connect with other Small Business owners! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #123 June 14, 2017 00:01:17 Ryan Stewman – Hardcore Closer 00:02:11 From Car Wash to Mortgages… just like that! 00:03:42 Hooked! 00:04:13 The Police Kicked in My Door 00:05:23 $770k in 2005 – all came to a screeching halt. 00:06:08 Then the laws changed… and I couldn’t work. 00:07:18 Putting that G.E.D. to Good Use 00:09:34 Practicing for your business while on the clock 00:10:24 Pivot OFTEN 00:11:45 Keep the momentum going 00:12:05 Daymond John – The Power of Broke 00:13:18 Put your mask on first … but then make sure you help others! 00:14:25 Dedicating to creating millionaires 00:16:43 “I advertise heavily” “Advertising is the thing that propelled me” Facebook Ads Retargeting 00:20:14 You have to learn your market 00:21:18 Writing the first book 00:22:54 I write every day Emails, Social Media, Books, Blog Posts 00:24:00 I am a prolific mistake maker 00:26:00 Embracing your mistakes -empowering yourself and others with your story 00:26:56 Don’t be a lone wolf for too long: get help faster! 00:28:53 SBS Outtro The post Small Business Show Interview with Ryan Stewman, Founder of HardcoreCloser.com – Small Business Show episode 123 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

What’s your Exit Strategy? You have one, right? That’s the question a business mentor asked of Kyle Baccus a few years ago that led to the eventual sale of one of his businesses. Today on the Small Business Show, Kyle joins us for a second guest spot to discuss the sale and to spend some time exploring our Revenue Stack concept of developing multiple streams of revenue as part of your path towards world domination. We get a chance to learn about the three different types of business sales that Kyle has been involved in and what he’s learned from each of them, with the concept that you should “Keep saying Yes until there’s a reason not to” as a guidepost during the transactions. Business owners should consider going to a business-sales seminar to learn about selling a company, but be weary of paying cash up front to a business broker when you area ready to sell, according to Kyle. We then jump into a conversation about what is the most difficult part about selling a Small Business and how to avoid some of the usual pitfalls. Shannon and Dave then steer the conversation towards the Revenue Stack that Kyle has developed over time, how he’s moved from being self-employed, to being a business owner and finally an investor. We dig deep into how a missing revenue stream can be replaced with a varied Revenue Stack. Finally, we wrap up the show discussing how wealth can make you fear risk, how to leverage your strengths to overcome weaknesses and we discuss time management – or the lack thereof. Join us today for episode 122 of the Small Business Show, then visit our Small Business Support Group to leave your comments! Chapters/Timestamps 00:00:00 Small Business Show #122 June 7, 2017 00:01:43 Kyle Baccus – KC Tool  00:03:32 It’s a lot harder to count the failures than the successes 00:04:17 Selling 3 Businesses 00:05:19 Selling to a stranger is a different animal 00:06:55 What is your Exit Strategy? 00:08:00 Keep saying Yes until there’s a reason not to 00:09:26 Go to a business-sales seminar when you don’t need to attend 00:10:18 Learn how to price a business 00:12:41 The Most Difficult Part About Selling 00:14:33 Employees are the biggest challenge Be appreciative of the fact that they are working for you 00:15:35 Do Your Research! Google “Business Selling Horror Stories” Avoid the pitfalls 00:17:00 When a sale goes south 00:19:20 Avoid the embarassment of failure 00:19:46 “I’m self-employed and working towards being a business owner” Rich Dad, Poor Dad 00:22:36 Replacing a missing revenue stream and building a revenue stack 00:26:04 Money makes you fear risk 00:27:10 Leverage your strong suit 00:30:20 Maximizing your Time… For You Mr. Money Mustache 00:34:38 Avoid Wipeout Risk 00:36:07 SBS Outtro The post Selling Your Small Business and Developing Multiple Revenue Streams – Kyle Baccus of KCTool Revisits – Small Business Show 122 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Stop for a moment. Think about your day. Are you doing work that should be delegated to your employees or contract workers? Small Business owner Robert is feeling overwhelmed and looking for tips to save time and increase his profits at the end of each month. Would you be surprised to hear that your Small Business Show co-hosts have experienced this situation a few times? Dave and Shannon offer Robert some advice about delegating and keeping the phrase “Who is going to do this for me?” in his thoughts as he moves from working IN the business each day to working ON the business to become the manage and leader his company needs. Additional tips include saying no more often, raising your prices to reach an equilibrium between revenue and profit that works for you and your business and developing an Organization Chart to really see who’s doing what each day. We then jump into a question about the impact of an impending increase of the minimum wage to $15 on Gail’s local Ice Cream business. The guys suggest offering more self-serve options, “gamifying” your product to incentivize customers to spend more, starting a membership or loyalty program and more. Just as important, your co-host remind Gail to be unique; “Don’t sell Vanilla”, with some examples of other food small businesses that have succeeded by being different. Join us today for episode 121 of the Small Business Show! Then, follow us over to the Small Business Support Group to get YOUR questions answered. Chapters/Timestamps 00:00:00 Small Business Show #121 May 31, 2017 00:00:44 Happy to be alive…and take care to share the important details in case you’re not! 00:05:49 Our overflowing mailbag: feedback@businessshow.co 00:06:20 Robert-We’re working a ton but not making enough money Scott Adams – How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big The E-Myth Who is going to do this for me? Rework Learn to say No Increase your Prices Don’t Just be a Sales Business 00:16:20 Gail-Will Rising Minimum Wage Kill My Business? SBS 59 – Would a $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage Impact your Small Business? Offer more self-serve Gamify your product: Incentivize customers to spend more Membership/loyalty program – Find perks Borderland Books membership Don’t sell Vanilla: be unique! Voodoo Doughnuts Yaks Create the story Give it away… once! 00:28:00 Take a breath Reactive vs. Proactive mode 00:31:08 SBS Outtro The post Delegating more in your Small Business, learning to say no and surviving the $15 minimum wage increase – Small Business Show 121 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

You’ve got questions about your Small Business and we’re here to help! Join Shannon and Dave today on the Small Business Show to hear their thoughts on setting up data sharing for a virtual office and the pros and cons of freelancers vs a business partner that has the skill set you are missing. If you need to share real-time data with your team that is working from different locations, what’s the best solution? Dropbox? Google Drive? How about a private solution like the Synology CloudStation? Your hosts spend time discussion these options and more to help one listener keep the data flowing between team members. We’ve spoken at length on the Small Business Show about outsourcing talent to help your business. Todd M. wants to hear what we think about hiring a freelancer vs bringing in a business partner for his technical needs. The guys talk about their experiences in this area and what to look out for with both solutions before making their recommendation. Listen in to episode 120 of the Small Business Show for all this and more! Then, join us in the Small Business Support Group to get your questions answered. Chapters/Timestamps 00:00:00 Small Business Show #120 May 24, 2017 00:00:57 Hustling is a good thing 00:01:42 Sunk Costs aren’t just financial 00:02:16 Send in your questions! Small Business Support Group 00:02:33 Jeremy-Virtualizing Your Office Dropbox Google Drive Google Docs Synology Cloud Station Synology DiskStation Business apps 00:13:00 Todd-Hiring a web developer? Guru JobRack The post Answers to your Small Business questions – Small Business Show 120 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Have you used outsourced talent for specific tasks in your Small Business? Ever run into quality problems? We thought so. Neil Napier ran into so many problems outsourcing that he realized there was a business opportunity to minimize headaches and increase the quality of the talent pool and thus, JobRack was born! Listen in to episode 119 of the Small Business Show and learn about the importance of having systems and procedures in place BEFORE deciding to outsource projects and how to get help if you don’t have either. We also discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing and what type of tasks lend themselves to using outsourced talent. Neil offers up some great tips to increase the likelihood of success with your outsourcing by developing Key Performance Indicators to insure that all progress is measurable. We then jump into ways to use larger companies to jumpstart your business, riding on the “coattails” of a larger company to launch your own, how to educate your customers about quality over quantity and Neil takes the time to share with us how outsourcing is just like sex. Don’t skip ahead to this section! Join us today for these tips and more, then click over to the Small Business Support Group to comment and get your questions asked! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #119 May 17, 2017 00:01:23 Neil Napier – JobRack Forced to become a business owner – lost job and found inspiration 00:05:00 Instant International Businessperson 00:06:19 Systemizing Outsourcing 00:08:36 Marketing Tool: Offering guidance 00:09:22 Who benefits from Outsourcing? 00:10:11 Managing expectations of your customers 00:10:50 KPI: Set Key Performance Indicators for tasks within your business 00:12:27 Riding on the coattails of a larger business to launch your own Joining business forums to market your business. 00:14:49 Quality over Quantity: Going beyond connecting people 00:19:28 Difficulty turning brand evangelists into affiliates 00:22:00 Best Mistake: subscription model priced too low 00:24:38 Beware the ego of the entrepreneur! 00:25:30 Outsourcing is like sex! 00:26:39 Educating your clients – critical to growing your business 00:27:45 Lesson: Be ready to serve each client individually Be more aggressive! 00:29:29 SBS Outtro The post Small Business Interview: JobRack Founder Neil Napier on Outsourcing – Small Business Show 119 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

It’s as simple as it is powerful. If we were using clickbait headlines, this one would read: This One Tip Will Make Your Customers Love You! But, since we don’t do that stuff on the Small Business Show, join us this week as we dive in deeper to the Two Tokens concept of Customer Service, as so eloquently described by Jean-Louis Gassée in his Monday Note. Gassée, who has a storied history at Apple and founded Be Computing and the BeOS, uses the United Airlines customer service disaster to shine the spotlight on the concept of Two Tokens when solving customer service problems. In a nutshell, the Two Tokens concept states that: “When a customer brings a complaint, there are two tokens on the table: It’s Nothing and It’s Awful. Both tokens are always played, so whoever chooses first forces the other to grab the token that’s left.” Your Small Business Show co-hosts were so impressed with how Gassée explained this concept and how important it can be when solving problems, that they spent the entire Small Business Show today digging into the practice and discussing how powerful it is. Listen in, and then join us in the Small Business Support Group to discuss and learn more! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #118 May 10, 2017 00:01:43 Balancing multiple businesses 00:02:53 Dangling the Carrot 00:03:40 Every business is the customer service business Helpscout 00:05:54 Jean-Louis Gassée and Customer Service Tokens 00:09:11 The customer is ready for a fight. They already don’t trust you 00:12:02 Get excited. Be demonstrative. 00:16:26 SBS 118 Outtro The post How to change the conversation when solving customer service problems in your Small Business – Small Business Show 118 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Can you work from anywhere? Is your dream to create a business that can be managed from Thailand, Europe, Florida and anywhere in-between? If so, you need to meet the folks from Jumpanzee. Join us on episode 117 of the Small Business Show! After spending years working for Ginormous Corp, David Denning and his wife Elle wanted to own a business that would give them the flexibility to live anywhere on Earth for months at a time. Jumpanzee, a branding, design and web management firm, allowed them to do just that. After spending time discussing the challenges of running your business from an island, we jump into a discussion of distinguishing yourself in a crowded marketplace without getting into a race to the bottom on pricing, how to manage customer expectations and understanding that you can’t be everything to everyone and still be the best at what you do. It wouldn’t be a Small Business Show interview without finding out about David’s “best” mistake that taught him some powerful lessons about making yourself accessible 24/7 and learning that time is your most precious commodity. We then talk about the obstacles in the way of scaling Jumpanzee and how David and his team are overcoming them. Shannon and Dave wrap up the show with a discussion about just what exactly an “Explainer” video is and how Jumpanzee uses them to market their customers businesses. Listen in and learn, then jump over to the Small Business Show Support Group to comment and connect with Jumpanzee!   Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #117 May 3, 2017 00:01:32 David Denning from Jumpanzee <http://jumpanzee.com> 00:03:27 Goal: Start a location independent business 00:04:53 The ups – and downs – of being a digial nomad in business 00:06:35 Managing time zones Helps if you are a night person. Bad internet access 00:07:57 Managing customer expectations 00:08:52 Balancing project work with ongoing revenue 00:10:10 You can’t be everything to everybody and still be good 00:11:28 Jumpanzee? 00:13:05 Buying a 3-month old business 00:14:00 Differentiating yourself without using price 00:16:35 But still post your prices! 00:22:37 Favorite mistake: live chat! 00:25:00 Biggest obstacle: How to scale 00:26:45 Explaining “explainer videos” 00:29:48 SBS 117 Outtro The post Small Business Interview with David Denning Co-Founder of Jumpanzee – Small Business Show 117 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

We’re strong proponents of finding something you love to do and creating a business around it. Lance Lewsader had such a great time getting out of an escape room attraction a couple of years ago that he decided to create his own and Bolt NWA was born! Bolt NWA is an Escape Room Experience where customers have one hour to find clues, solve puzzles and work together to escape the room. Bolt has three rotating concept rooms, including Locked!, The Vault and Day Dream. Lance and his team have created a successful business while getting involved closely with their community to serve multiple “bottom lines”. We start the show with your co-hosts Shannon and Dave getting educated about the Escape Room phenomenon, a fast growing attraction that is increasing in popularity around the country. Lance spends some time discussing Bolt’s history and how they have grown the business quickly, while connecting with their local community and charity organizations. Not content to just enjoy fast growth of Bolt on his own, Lance has franchised the business concept and explains how that process works. Your hosts are impressed that what usually can be a very complicated process, is just one more way to grow the business to Lance. But enough about success, we also want to know about those all important mistakes that teach Small Business owners so much. For Bolt, it was partnering with friends that got the business off to a rocky start. We wrap up the show with a talk about measuring success, what’s important beyond profit and what obstacles stand in Bolt’s way and how Lance plans to overcome them. Join us today for a fun show about a fun business concept! Listen in and then visit the Small Business Support Group to comment and ask questions. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #116 April 26, 2017 00:01:18 Ghost Pepper Salt! 00:01:49 Lance Lewsader – Bolt NWA Escape Room 00:04:37 Ride the wave! 950 to 2,500 in 18 months! 00:07:40 The F word: Franchising 00:11:09 Leverage your specific expertise 00:13:07 Repeat business? Keep it fresh! 00:14:51 When in doubt… and when in trouble: consult with a lawyer 00:18:00 Charity is success 00:22:56 Advice: make mistakes! 00:24:08 Can you Bolt? The post Small Business Interview with Lance Lewsader of Bolt NWA – Small Business Show 116 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Are you using video to market your Small Business? What problems does it solve and how about problems it can create? Join us today on the Small Business Show where we meet Adam Rahn of Droi Media to find answers to these questions and learn about Adam’s journey from freelancer to Small Business owner. Adam shares his surprise at just how many “hats” he is now wearing to get his business up and running and how to manage those non-billable hours that can eat up your time as a Small Business owner. Dave and Shannon suggest diving into the EMyth book to learn more about working “on” your business instead of always “in” it and developing an org chart, even if your name fills every job duty. We also spend some time talking about ways to promote yourself as an expert in your community, how to say no to new business when it is not in your (or your clients) best interest and what methods work well for communicating with new clients. Winding up the show, we focus on the importance of digging deep to find your niche and keeping yourself creative when creativity is your business. Join us today on the Small Business Show for these topics and more, then jump over to the Small Business Support Group to share your thoughts! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #115 April 19, 2017 00:01:28 Adam Rahn – Droi Media 00:04:33 Wearing many hats 00:06:09 EMyth – Working ON your business, not just IN it 00:07:08 Non-billable hours 00:08:04 “15 Minutes is Too Long” – Finding out what the client wants 00:11:37 Turning away business is sometimes a profitable decision 00:13:44 Position yourself as the community expert 00:17:20 Choose the right communication tools with your clients 00:20:13 When your creativity is your business 00:22:37 Becoming a grunt! 00:24:07 Future planning: carving a deeper niche 00:27:19 SBS 115 Outtro The post Using Video to Promote Your Small Business – Adam Rahn from Droi Media – Small Business Show 115 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Have you been trained in Human Resource management? Things like legal hiring practices, at-will employment, harassment policies and employee manual development? We didn’t think so. HR issues can plague small businesses of all sizes, especially once you hit the magic 50-employee number that activates all kinds of regulations and requirements. You need some help! Today on the Small Business Show, Dave and Shannon meet and talk to Kelly Loudermilk, founder of BuildHR, a human resource outsourcing and consulting firm that can make your Small Business life much better. Come along for the discussion and learn how a few quick questions at a Rotary function set Kelly on the path to launch her own Small Business to help other business owners succeed, while not having to worry about their HR compliance issues. We touch on topics including recognizing your own expertise to create a business, why you need an employee manual and best practices during the hiring process – because you just never know if that question you really want to ask is actually legal.  Finally, Kelly shares her marketing experiences with Facebook ads, answering questions on Reddit and getting involved in local Chamber of Commerce events. Join us on episode 114 of the Small Business Show for this and much more, then visit the Small Business Show Support Group on Facebook to discuss the show and get your questions answered! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #114 April 12, 2017 00:01:40 Kelly Loudermilk 00:02:10 BuildHR <https://www.yourhrsource.com> 00:03:19 It started at the Rotary Club 00:04:42 Recognizing Your Expertise 00:05:13 Growing businesses need help from 15 employees and up! 00:07:07 Good HR means better recruiting – offer the Cadillac package 00:08:51 Marketing BuildHR Facebook ads lead to success! Networking, local chambers Reddit! 00:10:37 What you can’t ask during an interview! 00:13:07 Did you New Yorkers know you can’t ask about salary? Kelly did! 00:14:09 Get yourself an employee handbook… and more… templatized! 00:20:20 Being a consultant means still serving the client in the end Objective Key Results 00:25:16 Starting a business is all about the journey 00:27:20 YourHRSource.com Twitter.com/yourhrsource Facebook.com/yourhrsource The post Small Business Human Resource Interview with Kelly Loudermilk of BuildHR – Small Business Show 114 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.