Growth Think Tank

Being curious is underrated. We grow up as children with curiosity raging inside of us. We ask questions to some of the simplest things; however, as we get older many of us replace curiosity with knowing. It is great to KNOW something, yet don't underestimate the value of being curious. Chris Guillebeau, NY Times and Wall St. Journal best selling author, shares how he uses “curiosity” to grow his business, create products and even write books. We talk about many other aspects of business growth too so join us and be sure to leave a comment too. Get the show notes for 120 | Growing a Successful Business Through Curiosity with Chris Guillebeau Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @chrisguillebeau #Curiosity #BusinessGrowth #Episode120 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Have you ever felt like quitting? Have you ever just wanted to give up on your dream of building your business? How about this one… you worked really hard for the chance to pitch your company and passion project to a group of investors with millions on national TV, yet it didn’t go your way. What would you do when those investors said “you should QUIT this project”? Lori Cheek shares her story of making it to Shark Tank (yes, the TV show)... Get the show notes for 119 | Not About to Quit with Lori Cheek Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @loricheeknyc #BuildingyourBusiness #Investors #Episode119 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Coaches, creatives and consultants- this episode if for you. You don’t sell a product. You sell a service that might be hard to describe. It is like selling the INVISIBLE. Angelique Rewers is a consultant to the corporate escapee. However, the word “consultant” just does not completely fit Angelique because she is so much more. Angelique is the CEO of The Corporate Agent where she helps other consultants sell more to other businesses. Listen in to this episode to discover a new perspective for your business as Angelique shares her journey of being in the trenches. Get the show notes for 118 | Selling the Invisible with Angelique Rewers Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @AngeliqueRewers #Coaches #Consultants #Episode118 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Not many business owners are willing to share with you the mistakes they made in the past. I think it is out of fear of how they will be perceived. I think that sharing our vulnerable areas actually can help us connect with people that want to know you better before doing business with you. Therefore in this episode, I share with you the three mistakes I realized in 2014. One of these has been the catalyst for my own growth in 2014. I hope it will help you. I also give you my pivots too. A pivot is a shift in direction, not a change in strategy. Then I share the successes I have had in 2014 that include some clients, my goals and even what I have done with the podcast. Listen in to the episode and let me know what pivots you have taken from your mistakes. Get the show notes for 117 | Mistakes, Pivots and Successes in 2014 with Gene Hammett Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett #ConnectwithPeople #BusinessOwners #Episode117 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!  

It is common to hear people say “tell stories” to engage the listener. It is totally true. And yet rarely do you find the right story format to really impact your customer acquisition. Maggie Patterson is an expert storyteller and the best part is she shares her secrets about how to frame the story to help you acquire more customers. Maggie talks about what most people get wrong when telling their stories so make sure you don’t miss this episode. Discover the new rules of marketing beyond hero’s journey. Get the show notes for 116 | The Importance of Story Telling in Customer Growth with Maggie Patterson Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @magspatterson #StoryTeller #MarketingbeyondHerosjourney #Episode116 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Waiting for referrals or waiting for the market to change are just two ways that entrepreneurs get stuck in their comfort zone. This is a wake up call with Chris Hogan. Chris is part of the EntreLeadership team with Dave Ramsey and a regular contributor for the EntreLeadership podcast. Chris is a renowned speaker on leadership and financial education. We discuss the dangers of getting stuck in “comfort” and how to make the shift to significance. Chris also shares three simple and straightforward steps to financial freedom. Get the show notes for 115 | Breaking From Comfortable to Significance with Chris Hogan Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @ChrisHogan360 #FinancialFreedom #Comfort #Episode115 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Many people mistakenly interchange “money” and “value.” However, value comes first. Value is the relative worth of a service or product. Value is always from the perspective of the buyer. Our guest today is Bob Berg, Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Bob has written many books on sales and his perspective on value is critically important for leaders. Bob clarifies what he means with the quote “money is an echo of value.” Get the show notes for 114 | Money Is An Echo Of Value With Bob Burg Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @BobBurg #Value #Money #Episode114 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Everyone knows WHAT they do, some people know HOW they do it, and yet very few people know their WHY. The WHY is really the most important part. David Mead shares with us how to discover your big why. David is a business partner with a hero of mine, Simon Sinek. who also wrote one of my favorite business books- “Start With Why.” Simon and David have been taking this concept of “the WHY” to corporations for years now to help them define and understand this concept. This interview with David will help you understand the importance of knowing your WHY. Get the show notes for 113 | Discovering Your Big Why with David Mead Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @djmead #KnowingyourWHY #BusinessPartner #Episode113 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

If you hate to sell, listen in here to this episode. Positioning yourself prior to the sale allows you to bypass the traditional sales process. Jack Mize, host of Influencers Radio, tells us how being the educator and the advocate allows you to eliminate the sales process. You probably understand what it takes to educate before the sale, but the “advocate” is someone that will really stand up for the success of their customers. Jack talks about positioning yourself as the authority simply by being an educator and advocate. Listen in to this episode to see what this means in your business. Get the show notes for 112 | How To Eliminate The Sales Process with Jack Mize Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @jackmize #TraditionalSalesProcess #Advocate #Episode112 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!

Adding new customers is the name of the game. There are many moving parts to growing a SAAS (Software As A Service) business to add those new customers. It takes savvy marketing and the ability to really solve a problem. Sujan Patel, VP of Marketing for When I Work, talks about the challenges of onboarding trial users-what not to do and the important aspects of success. Sujan shares the ins and outs he has learned to add 250,000 users in four years. Discover the fine line in marketing that Sujan had to learn the hard way. Get the show notes for 111 | Overcoming the Challenges of Customer Onboarding with Sujan Patel Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Leaders in the Trenches with @GeneHammett @sujanpatel #VPofMarketing #newCustomers #Episode111 #Podcasts Give Leaders in the Trenches a review on iTunes!