Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast

In your Small Business, do you value being told when you are wrong? Would you like to have a Revenue Stack that generates cash from multiple sources? Do you know what the Scotty Principle is? Join us on Episode 113 of the Small Business Show for these topics and more! We all love it when we’re right. But as you know, Dave and Shannon love hearing about mistakes, the “wrongs” that teach us all so much. Are your employees or colleagues comfortable telling you when you’re wrong? Do you encourage it? Dave spends some time on the show explaining a new policy he’s enacted to be sure this happens in his Small Business. During the past year, we’ve discussed Scott Adams’ book and his Talent Stack concept. Shannon takes the stack concept and applies it to Revenue, discussing concepts to insure you’re not relying on just one source of cash to fuel your Charmed Life. We’ve invited some excellent guests to join us on the Small Business Show in the near future to discuss how they have developed their own Revenue Stacks – stay with us, it’s going to be awesome. Finally, when you have a Revenue Stack, you’re often faced with hiring outside service providers and contractors to help support those businesses. The guys discuss the Scotty Principle and frustrations with Small Business owners that don’t get the concept of under-promising and over-delivering. Join us today on the Small Business Show, then head over to our Small Business Support Group to discuss the show and ask questions! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #113 April 5, 2017 00:01:00 Surrounding yourself with people who will tell you when you are “wrong” No “yes men” Requesting “You’re Wrong…” 00:05:48 Scott Adams’ Talent Stack 00:07:23 Key to Success: The Revenue Stack 00:08:35 Digging into the Serial vs. Parallel Entrepreneur Concepts 00:14:16 Revenue Stacks require the use of service providers/contractors – Can be frustrating 00:16:50 You’re gonna get paid: show up to do the work! 00:19:17 The Scotty Principle! – Underpromise and overdeliver if you can Managing your customers’ expectations. 00:22:28 Contact us at the Small Business Support Group The post Developing a Small Business Revenue Stack and being told when you are wrong – Small Business Show 113 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

We often ask our guests on the Small Business Show to tell us about their biggest mistake in business, as well as what advice they would have given themselves if they could go back to when they were just getting started. A very common response: Better accounting, better bookkeeping! On today’s episode, we are thrilled to have Justin Sisley of Digidern Bookkeeping as our guest to discuss the how and why of keeping track of your cash, as well as lessons from his own business experiences. The show begins with a discussion about what makes a good bookkeeper, how NOT to choose one and what to look for when searching for someone to help guide your accounting decisions. We quickly move into business strategy topics such as pricing your services, replicating yourself to grow (can you?) and the best marketing practices for service and consulting businesses. As the show proceeds, we get back into some accounting basics, such as not doing your own payroll and how critically important it is to keep up with your bookkeeping so you can catch mistakes, problems and opportunities early. Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean on episode 112 of the Small Business Show for these topics and more. Then, head over to the Small Business Show support group on Facebook to meet Justin and get your bookkeeping questions answered.   Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #112 March 29, 2017 00:00:55 Justin Sisley from Digidern Bookkeeping 00:03:11 How did that begin? 00:05:04 Anyone can be a bookkeeper… what separates you? 00:06:19 Take someone’s headaches away 00:08:00 Target the bootstrappers! Brian Tracy 00:09:26 You can’t replicate yourself, don’t try! 00:12:18 Pricing yourself: show that you’re serious 00:13:42 Marketing yourself as a solopreneur consultant Thumbtack Using social media to connect with small business owners – find businesses that you are passionate about. 00:16:39 You’re in a niche, target another niche 00:18:14 Stay the course, or use the shotgun approach? Following different business ideas Designated Driver business concept – first business. 00:21:21 Putting off Accounting – #1 mistake 00:23:34 Don’t do your own Payroll! 00:25:40 Back in time with advice! Resist the shiny objects – focus on your core business Don’t half-ass two things! 00:28:46 Uniquely Qualified … Unfair Competitive Advantage! 00:30:37 Finding Justin The post Small Business Interview with Justin Sisley of Digidern Bookkeeping – Small Business Show 112 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Today on the Small Business Show, we discuss the launch of the Apple Market Forum, Dave’s new business venture with longtime colleague, Paul Kent. Shannon gets a chance to quiz Dave about the impetus for starting AMF and some of the juicy details behind the concept for the event that will be held this summer in Silicon Valley. During the course of the show, we discuss some critical aspects of partnerships including differing skill sets, mutual expectations and managing different types of communication. Other topics include finding an expert in a different field than your own to partner with, limiting the launch size of a new business and developing no-nonsense, clear communication with your business partners. We wrap up the show with a discussion about feeling nervous or apprehensive can be a good thing and the trick of insuring your success (or failure) by your thoughts. Join us today for these topics and more! Then jump over to the Small Business Show Support Group to share your comments. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #111 March 22, 2017 00:03:18 Apple Market Forum – Dave’s & Paul Kent’s new gig 00:06:08 How long have you been planning? 00:08:06 Partnering with an expert 00:11:20 Limiting your launch in size  – easier to manage, scarcity 00:13:25 Be careful of overwhelming yourself 00:17:39 Believing is Creating. Success/Failure 00:17:58 Do good partners make good partnerships? 00:25:27 Teach yourself to crave apprehension 00:26:52 SBS Outtro The post Dave Launches Apple Market Forum, Partnerships and Embracing Apprehension –  Small Business Show 111 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! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #110 March 15, 2017 00:01:09 Mike Pile from Uppercase Branding joins us today 00:01:50 “Verbal Identity Consultancy” 00:03:42 Pulling out stories from companies 00:05:18 Prioritizing tasks and projects 00:06:43 Being your own boss: scary and liberating 00:07:49 Disconnecting to keep your creativity flowing 00:10:21 Marketing YOUR B2B Marketing business – using existing connections 00:13:43 A gift in the mail 00:18:09 “Brainstorming is a waste of time” Strategy and discovery 00:23:09 “A great name won’t help a bad business model” A bad name can be a distraction 00:25:09 Vetting your name is just as valuable as creating one 00:26:23 Norman Awards – Great new brand names. Good: “Adwash” – Samsung. Not so good: “Scion” – Hotels 00:30:07 Set a big stretch goal The post Small Business Interview with Mike Pile of Uppercase Branding – Small Business Show Episode 110 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

We began episode 109 of the Small Business Show with a plan to chat with Bob LeVitus about his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users. We talked about the book of course, but we also covered a treasure of information about being a “Solopreneuer” for 20+ years and how creating discipline techniques can be a path to success. Bob considers himself to be “virtually unemployable” and perhaps that has opened the doors for him to become an author with over 80 books to his name, a regular contributor to the MacObserver and a tech columnist for the Houston Chronicle. We jump right into one of the most critical issues to being successful when working on your own: being disciplined enough to get the work done on and done on time. Bob uses the Pomodoro technique that blocks out 25-minute time-frames with no interruptions to keep on task. Join us today if you find yourself easily distracted and have trouble getting things done – there’s some great tips that we think will benefit all of us Small Business owners. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #109 March 8, 2017 00:01:16 Interview with Bob LeVitus – Author, Entrepreneur and Small Business owner 00:02:37 Virtually unemployable 00:04:53 The power of saying “yes” 00:06:34 The hardest part about being a _______ is keeping your ass in the chair 00:07:20 Crazy glue on my buttocks – developing a system that works to motivate and discipline yourself. 00:08:44 Pomodoro Technique 00:10:00 Making ADHD work for you – Why the rabbit holes are so attractive 00:11:26 A Plan for the Day – isolate things that are the most important. 25 min work sessions 00:12:28 The most important deal you make … is the one with yourself 00:15:06 “Driven to Distraction” 00:16:36 Bob’s Book: “Working Smarter for Mac Users” 00:18:43 No stupid PC tricks! Partnering with other experts, using your brand. 00:24:42 Set yourself up for success – using quotas to keep you disciplined. 00:28:49 Working Smarter for Mac Users, the website! 00:31:46 Invent something! The post Small Business Interview with Bob LeVitus – Managing Distractions and Being Disciplined for Success – Small Business Show episode 109 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Problems – we all work on solving them every-single-day. Maybe the solution to a problem is the entire reason for your business to exist in the first place? Today on episode 108 of the Small Business Show, join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they focus on problem solving for your Small Business. Here’s some of the good stuff we covered on the show today: Tips to get you and your customer on the same side when trying to solve a problem – a critical maneuver to remove the “us and them” mentality when problem solving. Managing customer expectations to avoid problems in the first place. How to deal with problems when your Small Business is the customer. Getting past the automated systems to work with real humans. Using Google Docs to document, share and track access to your problem. Using storytelling to get people on your side that can help solve your problem. And much more! Join us on the Small Business Show and then click over to the Small Business Support Group to share your thoughts! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #108 February 29, 2017 00:03:05 Solve your problems with your customer – be on the same side 00:04:29 Make sure you manage your customers’ expectations 00:09:02 Solve problems together 00:10:46 What happens when you’re the customer with a problem? 00:12:12 Don’t let the robots win! 00:13:36 When complaining, Lead with love 00:14:36 Use Google Docs to track your issue 00:20:21 If I treated my customers the way you treat me, you wouldn’t have me as a customer 00:20:54 Always tell a story 00:21:12 Play the reasonable man 00:23:20 “You are better than this” 00:24:48 Make the document live and breathe 00:26:49 Using LinkedIn InMail for Customer Service 00:29:50 SBS Outtro The post Effective Problem Solving with Your Customers and Suppliers – Small Business Show 108 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

What if you were tasked with taking a thriving brick and mortar business with an established clientele and transitioning it to an ecommerce business selling a completely different product line to a new demographic? How would you handle the stress of trying to keep existing customers happy while attracting new customers to grow the business? Sara Beznicki and Isabelle Tan jumped into this situation in 2015, leaving the corporate world to successfully launch A Gilded Leaf to find new customers and growth, while protecting the companies existing customer base. Join us today on the Small Business Show to hear about how the company sells on multiple marketplaces and converts customers to direct purchasing from their website, how independent user testing helped to change their website design and how focusing on specific customer groups rather than just sheer numbers has helped the business grow. After the show, join in on the conversation on the Small Business Support Group!  Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #107 February 22, 2017 00:00:58 Sara Beznicki from A Gilded Leaf Jewelry <https://www.agildedleaf.com> 00:02:52 Changing your parents’ business 00:03:24 moving from corporate to small business – doing it all. Many tasks – 00:07:02 Going to where the customers are 00:10:13 Try, try and try again. Don’t get stuck. 00:10:41 Use UserTesting.com to test your site <https://www.usertesting.com> 00:12:24 Shopify Platform <https://www.shopify.com> 00:14:02 Use Pinterest and then boost 00:16:00 Brick and mortar to Appointment Only 00:17:24 Robots don’t buy your products! 00:19:33 Customer feedback as a success metric 00:21:06 Stay Calm The post Small Business Interview with Sara Beznicki of A Gilded Leaf – Small Business Show 107 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

How many tasks are you “managing” at one time? How effective are you while doing those things and how does multitasking impact your creativity? Join us this week on episode 106 of the Small Business Show and find out how your hosts deal with the urge to instantly respond to Slack posts and Messages. Dave brings up the concept of Spotlighting vs. Multitasking after Shannon explains his typical method of quickly jumping in and out of many different tasks during the day. We also discuss ways to push back on distractions and how to bring back some of that missing downtime in your life. Finally, since the guys love “Spotlighting” from one topic to another, you’ll here about the concept of allocating as much time to the news as it impacts your life. This proportional allocation can help to put things in perspective. So, turn off all those distractions and listen in to this episode of the Small Business Show! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #106 February 15, 2017 00:02:16 The power of powering through 00:04:20 Why You Shouldn’t Multitask 00:07:48 Don’t multitask, Spotlight instead 00:12:45 Implied urgency 00:15:33 Internal vs. External distractions 00:16:22 Downtime is when good ideas come 00:19:13 Allocating proportional time to the news 00:23:08 Understanding your own mental bandwidth… and living within it. 00:27:33 Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Messaging 00:29:48 SBS Outtro The post Evil Multitasking or Powerful Spotlighting to Manage Your Time – Small Business Show 106 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

The thought of even pretending to fail is anathema to your hosts on the Small Business Show. However, Dave came across the concept of the Pre-Mortem and the guys go all-in today to see how it works. “A pre-mortem — also known as a premortem — is a managerial strategy in which a manager imagines that a project or organization has failed, and then works backward to determine what potentially could lead to the failure of the project or organization.” Can you see why this kind of freaks us out? Your Purveyor’s of Positivity, your Champions of the Charmed Life don’t like to let the concept of failure get in the way of their ideas. This has worked for both Dave and Shannon for decades, launching new businesses and letting new ideas develop before they get squashed by negativity. But, we think this Pre-Mortem idea has some real value and on this episode of the Small Business Show, we turn the tables and tear into our own show using the pre-mortem technique. So, how did we do? Listen in to find out and then jump over to our Support Group to share your thoughts on using a pre-mortem on your own business. Podcast Chapters & Timestamps 00:00:00 Small Business Show #105 February 8, 2017 00:03:40 A pre-mortem Apple’s Pre-Mortem Inc. 00:05:14 Is it a good idea? 00:06:18 Balancing optimism and pessimism 00:07:26 Pre-mortem of the Small Business Show 00:09:35 Danger: no financial gain Grow listeners to grow sponsors 00:12:27 Direct vs. Indirect revenue 00:15:17 1,000 True Fans 00:18:25 Danger: Not seeing the numbers 00:22:52 Voicing doubts without being a naysayer 00:28:07 Outtro Articles mentioned: Harvard Business Review: Performing a Project Premortem Riskology: The Pre-Mortem: A Simple Technique to Save Any Project From Failure 1000 True Fans The post Planning for failure? Use the Pre-Mortem technique to test your project or business concept– Small Business Show 105 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

If you had the choice, would you continue the traditions of a multi-generational business that provided decades of support for those that came before you? Or would you turn things upside down and commit to growing the business and challenging yourself (and your company) to embrace new technology, new customers and a new workforce? If you are a Small Business Show listener, we think we know what your answer is. Join us today as we spend some time with David Oliva of RD Appliance Service as he describes the journey from a self-employed entity founded over 50 years ago to a fast growing company that embraces change and challenges traditional methods to become the very best they can be. During our interview, we covered a ton of great Small Business topics such as working with your spouse, expansion with new employees, raising your prices and finding a new high-end service niche and much more. Listen in to episode 104 of the Small Business Show, then jump over to the SBS Support Group on Facebook to share your comments! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #104 February 1, 2017 00:01:28 Interview: David Oliva from RD Appliance Service 00:02:47 The multi-generational transition 00:03:42 Changing the vision 00:04:38 Working with your spouse 00:05:54 Expansion via hiring and partnerships 00:07:08 The challenge of employees – keeping your “edge” and challenging yourself 00:09:24 It’s time to raise prices … a lot! Being a great Tech does not make you a great business owner. 00:11:58 Making changes with your parent as a partner 00:13:22 Going upscale! Finding your niche – 00:21:02 Best mistake: Worker’s Comp is a variable cost! 00:23:14 Stock parts: arrive prepared for each client 00:24:08 Service providers: watch out for aftermarket warranties 00:25:51 Scheduling time to work on your business 00:26:35 Being the best is the best success 00:28:04 Learn from other Small Business Owners 00:28:31 Don’t underestimate the value of your skills The post Small Business Interview with David Oliva of RD Appliance Service – Small Business Show 104 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.