Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this week's QFF episode, Rob interviews Kyle Stout, Founder of Elevate and Scale, based in the United States. Kyle is an expert in email marketing and sales process optimization and is working with E-commerce businesses and service businesses. Email creation may be complex and hassle for some, but it significantly impacts foot traffic to your business. Kyle ​​breaks email into two categories to help entrepreneurs improve their skills in email marketing where that includes the automation side and the ongoing email marketing. He also shared a step-by-step process for creating an impactful email that could attract your ideal customers. According to Kyle, having advanced expectations and studying what your ideal customers might like or know is essential to making the message you want to convey more effective. He also added entrepreneurs should have come up with something interesting to start the conversation of the email that looks exactly different from what you usually do. This Cast Covers: Expert in email marketing. Offering a holistic approach to retention marketing. Creating and managing reports programs. Sharing profitable marketing strategies. Breaking email into 2 categories including automation and ongoing email marketing. Implementing a step-by-step process from being a stranger to being a good customer. Coming up with topics relevant to the ideal customers and to what the client is selling. Advising on attracting new names as a first-timer in email marketing. Links: Kyle's Linkedin Kyle's Facebook Kyle's Twitter Additional Resources: Elevate and Scale Quotes: "They know they can get better results, but they don't have the time to dedicate to it." —Kyle Stout "Just because people aren't as excited about it. Now, it doesn't mean that it's not very profitable." —Kyle Stout "If you want to start, try to be thoughtful about your ideal customers." —Kyle Stout "Know that the first email you send, or the second one, doesn't have to be perfect." —Kyle Stout "One thing that's great about email is you can use that to bring in foot traffic to your business." —Kyle Stout

In this episode, Troy interviews Michelle Nedelec the Founder and CEO of Awareness Strategies based in Calgary, Canada. Michelle has set up her own business to help entrepreneurs automate marketing, sales, and billing to focus on their personal growth. With over 20 years of experience in helping entrepreneurs with their personal development, Michelle figured out that the best thing an entrepreneur can do to grow is doing things the way they wanted with full control through proper coaching and self-awareness. Awareness Strategies was established in 2003 and has been running for 20 years, growing with over 500,000 dollars in revenue and 12 FTEs. Michelle has said that growing a small business requires perseverance in order to drive things. So she says, "It's just being able to get back on the bus as you see fit, making sure you're taking appropriate breaks, and then it never ends, this business may end, this journey may end, this whatever it is may end, but that only allows you to get on to a bigger better bus." This Cast Covers: Helping business owners by doing their marketing tech for them. Making sure that clients can move on and focus on the thing that they love to do. Speaking and teaching personal development programs for almost 15 years. Had 28 career pivots since starting the business. Constructed the business with a longevity-based system. Learn how to choose clients that will give a positive impact on your business. Understanding how tension and stress is actually a good sign for entrepreneurs' growth. Focusing on hiring for aptitude and culture. Learning how knowing yourself can be a good help to run a kick-ass culture. Helping entrepreneurs make improvements by setting goals. Links: Michelle's Linkedin Michelle's Facebook Michelle's Instagram Additional Resources: Awareness Strategies Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich by Wallace D. Wattles Quotes: "Ask more questions before putting money out to solve problems." —Michelle Nedelec "Negotiate with people who will give value to your work." —Michelle Nedelec "The tension and stress that entrepreneurs facing in are actually a good thing." —Michelle Nedelec "Allow your past experiences to mold you to become better than you are yesterday." —Michelle Nedelec "You cannot run a badass culture without knowing who you are." —Michelle Nedelec

In this episode, Troy interviews Yegor Sak the Co-Founder and CEO of Windscribe based in Toronto, Canada. Yegor Sak has set up his own business to assist people in learning about general internet privacy or security. With over 20 years of experience in learning programming and operating software development firms, Yegor Sak figured out what he wanted and decided to build his own business together with his two business partners. Windscribe was established in 2016 and has been running for over 7 years with over 50 million users and 50 FTEs. Yegor has said that growing a small business requires trying to do something that you can do for yourself. So he says, "Learn every single aspect of the business that you're operating in, whether it's technical, whether it supports, whether it's if you're doing marketing, marketing, do all of these things yourself." This Cast Covers: Helping people who have very little knowledge about general internet privacy or security. Creating tools to be as easy as possible to use for everyone. Operating a freemium model with a vast majority of 50 million plus users. Formerly operating a software development firm until creating his own business. Connecting with customers through becoming a very active presence on social media. Focusing on protecting other people's privacy rather than being showy to the audience and target markets. Using word of mouth as their sole method of growth. Providing practical tips on how to handle issues with your customers. Working on turning the power user platform into a business-oriented platform. Learning how failures can help you see the things that need improvements. Links: Yegor's Linkedin Yegor's Twitter Additional Resources: Windscribe Quotes: "In failure, you do learn what works, and what doesn't hone your development skills." —Yegor Sak "If your sole objective for running a business is to be rich, you will most likely fail." —Yegor Sak "Talking directly to people that have issues with your product is extremely beneficial." —Yegor Sak "To be successful, you have to appreciate what you do." —Yegor Sak "You have to force yourself to have that balance" —Yegor Sak

In this episode, Michael interviews Tristan White, the founder of The Physio Co based in Melbourne, Australia. They discussed leadership culture for small business owners. Tristan started as a qualified Physiotherapist, focused on building a strong team culture with being ranked as one of Australia's best places to work in mind. He was able to scale up our business by building a strong team culture. Obsessed over creating the strongest, most purposeful and most sustainable business he possibly can, he thinks the middle ground is that all of us small business owners need to find the sweet spot to be a friendly boss. That is someone who is polite, approachable, and interested. He suggests that people need to accept and park the idea that it's a lonely, isolated job as a small business owner because he hears that far too often. He also tells us that committing to a leadership lifestyle involves forever learning. This Cast Covers: How Michael got to know Tristan Got ranked as one of Australia's 50 Best Places to Work In 2017 released a book called Culture is Everything Founding The Physio Co Books that have him become a better leader Links: Tristan's website Culture is Everything Club Additional Resources: Culture is Everything by Tristan White Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek Small Giant by Bo Burlingham Quotes: "Whether I want to admit it or not, I make a mistake and get something wrong, most hours in my life." — Tristan White "To lead others, you must personally learn to lead yourself." — Tristan White "My suggestion is that people accept and park the idea that it's a lonely, isolated job as a small business owner because I hear that far too often." — Tristan White "Having a strong team culture is such an important foundation for a sustainable business." — Tristan White "Don't stop reading and learning. But don't only read and learn, because it's about actually doing the learning AND then doing the doing to become a more effective leader over time." — Tristan White

In this GABS Podcast episode, Troy interviews Daryl Urbanski, owner of Best Business Coach. Daryl's based right now in Manila, Philippines. Daryl is a marketing consultant. For 17 years, he has been helping businesses/websites get customers and keep them. Before doing consulting work, he was setting up automated online funnels, which was his claim to fame. As a big supporter of small and medium-sized businesses and free-market capitalism, Daryl spent $50,000 hiring the best researchers in the world, reading academic journals, and talking to almost 400 experts. This led him to find the eight most important factors for growing small and medium-sized businesses. According to Daryl, the number one thing he'd recommend in marketing a fast-growing business is to develop strong market intelligence, knowing the stereotypes and the intricate details; then using that advanced market intelligence to form a strategic plan to be the best of all the options. This Cast Covers: Creating seven-figure automated income streams from scratch. Being a proponent of small businesses and free-market capitalism. The eight critical success factors. Adverse consequences of monopolies. Wanting to do something that will have a lasting impact. The definition of self-efficacy. Tips and techniques to avoid burning out. Defining the word, success. Developing vital market intelligence. Using Karl Popper's scientific method to eliminate errors in marketing your business. Links: Daryl's Linkedin Daryl's Company Website Additional Resources: Ancient Secrets Of Lead Generation: Your Primitive Business Guide To Better Leads With Less Effort by Daryl Urbanski Libey and Pickering on RFM and Beyond by Donald Libey Quotes: "Making sales alone doesn't guarantee business success." — Daryl Urbanski. "Monopolies are bad because then there's no incentive to improve." — Daryl Urbanski. "You have to have an openness to experience agreeableness, conscientiousness, acceptance of criticism and feedback." — Daryl Urbanski. "The reality is you want to be at a busy food court to just be the best of all the options." — Daryl Urbanski. "When it comes to marketing strategy you want to have high quality … you have to try to improve the quality of what you're selling." — Daryl Urbanski.

Peter Gartlan, Director and Co-Founder of Gartlans IT Advisors, shares his journey from being an IT guy to a successful salesperson. He discusses the challenges of managing fast growth, the impact of a big deal going wrong, and the importance of professional development and understanding director responsibilities. They also discuss board dynamics, selling the business, and tips for starting out in business.

In this episode, Michael interviews Troy Bennett, CEO of Bennett's Petroleum. He's based in Hobart, Australia. Troy covers a wide variety of roles regarding business activities such as; human resources, marketing, property development, retail development, and contracts. After running through different roles within the company, he took the mantle of CEO in May 2002. Troy is an advocate for energy awareness; back in the day when he was trying to make it to the Olympics in the 80s and 90s, it was important that he'd monitor his energy output on a daily basis in order to be as effective as he can be. Just like in sports, managing your energy output correlates with business, business owners should also monitor their energy outputs to avoid burning out, taking regular breaks after a period of time working aggressively to be as effective as they can be. According to Troy, having an energy calendar is extremely useful for knowing what days you should go out there to work with maximum effort and for days you shouldn't. Heavily leveling up the quality of your decision-making as you know when to make one. This Cast Covers: Being aware of your levels of energy. Monitoring your emotions and your physical quality. The importance of timely decision-making. Taking care of your physical and mental health to avoid burning out. Using your energy to be forceful to get your point across. Carefully managing your workload. Getting enough sleep, and getting the right nutrition. Links: Troy's Company Website Troy's Linkedin Additional Resources: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr, Tony Schwartz Quotes: "First, you have to be very aware, very aware of your emotions and your physical being on a daily basis." — Troy Bennett. "You're only as good as your decision-making." — Troy Bennett. "They want to know that you're actually in control." — Troy Bennett. "When you lose control, you lose context." — Troy Bennett. "Depending on what decade of life you're in, you need to make sure that you're moving appropriately for the decade you're in." — Troy Bennett.

In this GASB Podcast episode, Troy interviews hospitality industry pioneers Mark Calabro and Shannon Hautot, who are based in Melbourne, Australia. The pair, who first met as University undergraduates 25 years ago, is one of few co-founders in Australia to have had two successful tech start-ups within the hospitality industry. From beginnings in a backyard garage, they launched their first business Point of Sale company, OrderMate, in 2003. In the years that followed they grew their customer base to over 2,500 venues across Australia, building a successful business that was acquired in 2021 by MSL Solutions for $ 7.5 million. Mark and Shannon are also the co-founders and Co-CEOs of award-winning hospitality tech startup, HungryHungry, a business they launched in 2019. During the pandemic HungryHungry pivoted quickly from mobile order & pay to online ordering for restaurants and as a result built a loyal database of over 2,000 restaurants, cafes, pubs, and bars across Australia, and in the process helping many overcome the challenge of lockdowns to stay open for business. As the hospitality industry continues to embrace and benefit from technology-driven solutions, the self-confessed foodies say their mission remains simple; to deliver innovative, tech-driven solutions that help venue owners increase revenue, and access valuable data insights to enhance customer loyalty and inform ways of delivering better experiences. Most recently they have launched several new product features with a focus on helping restaurant owners and staff access 'real-time' consumer data insights so that they can instantly recognise regular customers and reward them for their loyalty through on-the-spot VIP services and/or future marketing and promotions. Alongside this, they have also introduced bespoke, paperless kiosks, a service that caters to Australia's growing casual dining sector and an offer that none of their competitors can match. The shift into stand-alone hardware meets a growing demand for service versatility from a wider range of venue types beyond fast food locations. Under Mark and Shannon's guidance, HungryHungry has grown to a team of 60 people and helped to deliver 35% more revenue per customer for its thousands of customers across Australia and New Zealand, ranging from independent restaurants, bars, and pubs to festivals, events and large-scale corporate venues and hospitality groups. The business has also recently achieved profitability – no small feat for a hospitality tech startup. Their relentless passion to build technology that empowers the industry and rewards their customers' loyalty has been recognised with several awards including the 2021 Finder Award for Most Innovative Business Response to COVID-19, Winner of a 2020 Smart Company Resilience Award, and being named a 2020 Rising Star in the Deloitte Tech Fast 50. According to Mark, conducting lots of small habits as a small business owner is one of the few they should develop and maintain, while Shannon, it is prioritising what is the most important and doing your best to get that done. Although both are different from each other, that's what makes their partnership so successful and has helped them to stand the test of time where many others would have failed. This Cast Covers: Mark Calabro & Shannon Hautot: a 20+ year business partnership. Mark and Shannon's companies: OrderMate & HungryHungry. How OrderMate & HungryHungry was invented from the ground up. Success is not black and white like pass or fail. Prioritising on finding that product-market fit. Inside the journey of raising funds and how this can add benefit to a fast growth business. People and culture. Why small-medium business owners need to be able and willing to work across all areas of the business as required Shifting planning for 30-day sprints rather than 90-day sprints. The value in mentors and targeted entrepreneurial networking groups. Links: Mark & Shannon's Company Website Mark's Linkedin Shannon's Linkedin Additional Resources: Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman Future Shock by Alvin Toffler Quotes: "It's good to evolve and pivot and grow and learn as you go." — Mark Calabro & Shannon Hautot. "Going from a dream to a reality, that's one of the biggest things you can get as successful as a founder." — Mark Calabro & Shannon Hautot. "It's not always just you're either successful, or you're not, it's a series of goals and milestones." — Mark Calabro & Shannon Hautot. "As a founder, you kind of don't have the luxury just sort of specialize within one area. You have to be a jack of all trades." — Mark Calabro & Shannon Hautot. "If you're a great person, you will generally attract great people as well." — Mark Calabro & Shannon Hautot.

In this episode, I interview Ben Lipschitz, the CEO, and Co-Founder of FoodByUs Australia's largest online wholesale food and alcohol ordering platform that connects thousands of restaurants, cafes, and caterers with thousands of suppliers. A law graduate turned entrepreneur, who sold his first business, Flipsters in 2014, Ben then teamed up in 2016 with Gary Munitz and Tim Chandler, combining their expertise in hospitality and technology to launch FoodByUs, a free, 'one-stop procurement shop' for small-medium sized venues. What started as a one-stop-shop online marketplace for venues and suppliers to connect has evolved into an advanced software procurement system that helps venues efficiently run their entire back-of-house operation. Ben's impressive journey as a tech founder has been recognised with numerous awards including being named Entrepreneur of the Year at the prestigious 2022 CEO Magazine Executive of the Year Awards and winner of the 2022 Sydney Young Entrepreneur of the Year Hospitality & Tourism award. For two years running, he has also been recognised as one of Australia's top 100 Young Entrepreneurs. In the past twelve months, he has overseen the growth of the team by 50% to 85 people and helped deliver an ongoing result of at least 30% record MoM revenue growth. Alongside this, he has been instrumental in the business securing Series A ($10m in Nov 2021) & Series B funding ($12m in Jan 2023). Ben has said that growing a small business requires looking at the numbers every day. So he says, "When we shifted into restaurants, that made it clear that we were onto something every day, everything feeds into that there are tons of dashboards, and the entire company has a relevant dashboard for them that they literally will look at first thing in the morning every day, last thing before they leave and I think that drives the points." This Cast Covers: Managing a real one-stop shop between restaurants, and all the wholesale orders for everyday needs. Drawing live inventory and being able to submit orders digitally. Growing from 5 to 85 team members for over 7 years. The significance of passion in selecting a business industry to start. Sharing the most innovative industry which is technology. Learning the importance of customer feedback in growing a small business. Tips on how to handle the unending problems inside the business. Accepting the reality that there are people who are better than us to do other tasks. Helping entrepreneurs improve their delegation skills by focusing on culture and people. Sharing the exciting parts of growing a small business. Links: Ben's Linkedin Ben's Twitter Additional Resources: FoodByUs Zero to One by Peter Thiel Quotes: "Running a profitable company that has a meaningful impact on the industry is a success." —Ben Lipschitz "Have a real think about what it is you're trying to solve before you start to market and scale that marketing." —Ben Lipschitz "As you grow, you have a lot of pains that you never anticipated." —Ben Lipschitz "You must accept that your leaders and team are in a better position than you to complete many of the tasks." —Ben Lipschitz "You have to build the company that you want." —Ben Lipschitz

In this week's QFF episode, Rob interviews Chris Morsley, Managing Partner at CMCGlobal, he's based in the Greater Sydney Area. Chris was once a professional actor, now an executive coach, specializing in developing leadership performance. He has worked with global brands such as Cisco, PwC, Twitter, and Google to create leaders that you can trust. There are three things that every great leader has in common. They have a commanding sense of attention, deeply connect with people, and are good at being persuasive; Chris helps small-medium business owners develop these attributes within them, critical qualities that make a great leader. To build a real winning business that stands on strong relationships and motivated people. Chris continuously emphasized the importance of connecting deeply with people as a leader or a small-medium business owner. He stated that the best way to connect is through stories, that once in a while you get your people together and let them tell their personal stories with no prejudice and no judgment; stories are actually the way how we connect. This Cast Covers Communicating effectively as a leader. Key intrinsic values over extrinsic values of what makes people happy. Ways to create autonomy in a business. Asking your people what they expect from you. Utilizing the concept of reciprocity. Newly anointed leaders fighting imposter syndrome. The importance of gravitas. Uncovering the customers' emotions to get their story. The single most important factor in connecting with others. Links: Chris's Company Website Chris's Linkedin Additional Resources: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition by Robert B. Cialdini Quotes: "You can easily help them simply because you're eager." — Chris Morsley "It's around gravitas and storytelling." — Chris Morsley "The other thing you got to remember as a leader is that it's very difficult to get the truth from people." — Chris Morsley "You want to uncover the most persuasive of all emotions, which is fear." — Chris Morsley "Ultimately, what you want is for them to feel a sense of resolving the resolve." — Chris Morsley