Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode, I interview Eric Tjoeng, Founder and CEO of Business Growth and Exit Specialists (BGES), based in Sydney, Australia. Eric set up his own business to help entrepreneurs be the smart, successful, and sustainable businesses of today and tomorrow with clear business growth and exit strategy. in later years after 10 years of joining CAD Partners - CFO On Call, and becoming the Joint CEO, Eric formed a boutique management consultancy firm to provide a fresh and innovative strategy, financial roadmap, and low-hanging fruit concept. Business Growth and Exit Specialist (BGES) was established in 2015 and has been running for over 7 years. Recognized as one of the 10 Australian Business Strategists & Experts to Watch in 2021 by the Australian Business Journal with over 10 FTEs. Eric has said that growing a small business requires responsibility and optimism. So he says, "Be optimistic and responsible so you can persevere and not give up. This Cast Covers: Providing fresh, innovative methodology, strategy, financial roadmap, and low-hanging fruit concept. Helping entrepreneurs how to have a sustainable growth strategy. Teaching how to be more capable and responsible in growing a business. Learning how to make a difference with your own knowledge and experience. Learning how to handle work-life balance. Focusing on growing business through creating a marketing strategy. Understanding more about the strategic points of marketing. Helping entrepreneurs how to grow their business through partnerships. One of the first SME management consultancy firms focused on future-proofing. Learning how to maintain a healthy environment inside work. Additional Resources: Business Growth and Exit Specialist The of Art War by Sun Tzu ——————————— Quotes: "Once we form a business, our responsibility is to look after our team." —Eric Tjoeng "Success is being able to make time for work and family separately." —Eric Tjoeng "Be optimistic so you can persevere and not give up." —Eric Tjoeng "Sometimes balance is a concept." —Eric Tjoeng "Running your business without a clear financial roadmap means that you're running blind." —Eric Tjoeng ——————————— Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Laurie Barkman, CEO and Founder of SmallDotBig, based in Pittsburgh, United States. Laurie set up her own business to help business owners maximize enterprise value, create succession plans, and identify M&A strategies. From being a key leader of a startup and adjunct professor, Laurie decided to help entrepreneurs grow by providing strategic planning to be firm. SmallDotBig was established in 2011 and has been running for over 11 years with over 5 FTEs. Laurie has said that growing a business requires preparing and planning for the future and making it transferable. This Cast Covers: Focusing on creating value and transitioning with success. Providing Exit Planning and advisory work Helping entrepreneurs on how to create a scalable business that can be transferred. Observing differences across different industries. Helping entrepreneurs maximize enterprise value, create succession plans, and identify M&A strategies. Teaching entrepreneurs about making their business firm by managing the cash flow. Making valuations on business and representing companies for sale. Working for startups and big companies. Learning how to handle difficulties as a CEO. Learn how to build relationships and the right partnerships for the growth of the business. Additional Resources: SmallDotBig One Minute Manager Manage by Blanchard ——————————- Quotes: "The reality is that 100% of us are going to leave our company one day, and we have to acknowledge and plan for it.." —Laurie Barkman "A non-transferable business is a worthless business." —Laurie Barkman "If you put good in the world, good will come back to you." —Laurie Barkman "Be mindful that you don't have all the answers." —Laurie Barkman "The clearer you are with yourself, the clearer you'll be with the business around you." —Laurie Barkman ——————————- Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Marco Torres Co-Founder and business mentor of Marketing Boost, based in Tampa, USA, Florida. Marco set up his own business to help and train business owners on how to scale and grow everything through incentives, business information, and tools. From being a young entrepreneur at the age of 9, Marco learned from his experiences and pursued more opportunities. Marketing Boost was established in 2017 and has been running for over 5 years. Became the Best Kept Secret being used by some of the Top Internet Marketers in the World with over 4 FTEs. Marco has said that growing a business requires discipline and time management. So he says, "If you're not managing your time, time is managing you." This Cast Covers: Focusing on servicing one of the other businesses like a travel company. Generating video testimonials from everybody. Learning how to promote a business through podcasts. Helping entrepreneurs on how to be resourceful. Providing marketing boost tools to giveaway complimentary hotel and hotel savings cards. Expert in making deals with different businesses throughout the world. Learning how to get reviews from different businesses to improve your credibility. Helping and training entrepreneurs on how to scale and grow using the provided incentives, business information, and tools. Teaching how to stay up to speed on the constantly changing trends. Additional Resources: Marketing Boost Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Zig Ziglar's Secrets Closing Sale by Zig Ziglar ——————————— Quotes: "Leverage the people you know and the people that you've learned to trust." —Marco Torres "If you can't hire people, partner people." —Marco Torres "You've got to keep learning and teaching yourself." —Marco Torres "If you find yourself doing everything, you are thinking small." —Marco Torres "If you're not managing your time, time is managing you." —Marco Torres ——————————— Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Rj Singh, Executive Director of Cora Group based in Melbourne, Australia. Rj helped to manage an Australian-owned freight and logistics management organization to provide simple solutions to meet complex logistics challenges. From working as an employee, Rj decided to pursue more opportunities and had his quick trajectory. Cora Group was established in the early 2000s and has been running for over 14 years. Became a specialist logistics management firm with over 13 FTES and has been running for over 14 years. Rj has said that growing a small business requires quick and smart moves as we need to cope with the advanced technology and systems that keep on revolving and improving. So he says, "You need to evolve in the current market with the current market." This Cast Covers: Source, implement, manage and optimize the day-to-day performance of the carriers. A company has gone on a transformation journey. Teaching how to filter out the bad money and bring in the good money. Provides integrated freight and logistics management services. Focusing on disruptors in the logistics sector. Leveraging unique capability, skill, and knowledge with a smaller company. Learning how to overcome loneliness and adjust to a new environment for business. Learning how to adapt a massive learning journey to help the business grow. Offering an executive learning platform through the Ultra habits podcast. Helping entrepreneurs how to improve their skills through mentorship. Additional Resources: Cora Group Small Giants by Bo Burlingham —————————— Quotes: "Business is a sport, it's an evolution of mind, body and spirit complex." —Rj Singh "Get out and do not underestimate the power of social media." —Rj Singh "Take your mind away from your performance to the performance of others." —Rj Singh "Do what's right, not what's easy." —Rj Singh "People need to find their meaning." —Rj Singh —————————— Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Dan Mcmahon and Tara Seymour, Founders and CEOs of Inner Atlas-based in Sydney, Australia. Dan and Tara have set up their own business to help support the overall wellness of human beings and improve performance, beauty, mood, and immune system. From being a filmmaker and corporate space in marketing, Dan and Tara pursue new opportunities by growing Organic Medicinal Mushrooms and Adaptogenic Tonic Blends. Inner Atlas was established in 2020 and has been running for almost 2 years. Became the best selling and nature-friendly health care product with over 8 FTEs Dan and Tara said that growing a business requires self-discipline and proper balance. So they say, "The business never stops, you've got to be able to manage yourself and keep up with it." This Cast Covers: Specialize in medicinal mushrooms and medicinal mushroom extracts. Sharing knowledge and resources about regenerative and food substances. A big believer in the transformative effect. Expert in healthy living. Growing 100% month on month with over 600 retail and online stores nationally. Helping entrepreneurs how to attract quality customers. Learning how to properly manage the cash flow. Focusing on perception and visibility. Learning how to deal with enough capital. Learning how to cultivate discipline and a healthy workflow. Additional Resources: Inner Atlas Atomic Habits by James Clear Game Changers by Dave Asprey ___________________ Quotes: "Success means overcoming the challenging obstacles in life." —Dan Mcmahon "Grow and acknowledge your mistakes." —Dan Mcmahon "The business never stops, you've got to be able to manage yourself and keep up with it." —Tara Seymour "A project which was heading in a great direction can suddenly be trailed by the smallest thing." —Dan Mcmahon "Let the people have the flexibility to be the person that they can be." —Dan Mcmahon ___________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Chans Weber, Founder and CEO of Agile & Co based in St. Louis, USA. Chans has set up his own full-service digital marketing to help niche companies gain top market share with strategic inbound marketing. From working as an employee, Chans decided to pursue new opportunities and change their family tree from a very low to a middle-class family. Agile & Co was established in 2012 and had been running for over 9 years and 11 months. Became a huge company going from multiple seven figures with over 12 FTEs. Chans said that growing a business requires having enough knowledge and self-discipline. So he says, "You need to know what you are doing and Identify your weaknesses in order to build discipline around that."This Cast Covers: A full-service digital marketing agency. Helping companies to have a stable client base. Helping entrepreneurs how to grow their business without taking so much time working. Teaching on how to be outstanding among your competitors. Learning how to grow a business from zero. Helping entrepreneurs on how to be more careful in handling their business. Learning how to avoid common problems with business partners. A huge company going from multiple seven figures. Learning how to handle the ups and downs in business. Uses a data-based approach that allows your marketing strategy to adapt to changing opportunities. Additional Resources: Agile & Co. Atomic Habits by James Clear ___________________ Quotes:"Success means you are living your own life with freedom." —Chans Weber "Pick and choose your own battle." —Chans Weber "Always find a way to be different." —Chans Weber "You need to know what you are doing." —Chans Weber "Identify your weaknesses and build discipline around that." —Chans Weber ___________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Andrey Koslov, Social Media Marketer from eCommerce and Udemy Instructor based in San Diego, United States. Andrey set up his own dropshipping business to help consumers order and get their online items conveniently through Facebook Marketplace. From being a fresh graduate intern of a company, Andrey decided to leave his job and pursue bigger opportunities by growing his own business. Andrey Koslov's drop shipping online business was established in 2020 and has been running for over 2 years with Andrey has said that growing a small business requires continuous learning on the craft that you are doing, so he says, "always try new things to open new doors and new opportunities." This Cast Covers: Focusing on the Drop Shipping model of E-Commerce. Working with Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Expert in selling and advertising products online and efficient shipping of items. Helping buyers how to order and get their items conveniently through Facebook Marketplace. Teaching how to be a smart and responsible entrepreneur. Learning how to save money by doing a commission-based business. Exploring Facebook Marketplace as a sales channel. Learning how to sell marketable products by doing product research. Helping entrepreneurs improve their marketing skills. Additional Resources: Ecommerce Udemy Rich Dad Poor by Robert Kiyosaki _________________________ Quotes: "Always try new things to open new doors and new opportunities." —Andrey Kozlov "If you are problem-focused, then doing a business can be tough when problems arise." —Andrey Koslov "Growing a business can help you learn a lot of skills and become a stronger person." —Andrey Koslov "If you keep doing everything on your own, there would be no opportunity to scale" —Andrey Koslov "Consistency and solution-focused pays off in the long run." —Andrey Koslov _________________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Yulia Vasilyeva, Founder and CEO of Intelocate based in Toronto, Canada. Yulia has set up her own software program operations platform to help multi-location businesses streamline task management, issue resolution, and communications operations. From being a project manager, Yulia decided to leap a faith and pursue her dream of building a business. Intelocate was established in 2015 and has been running for over 7 years. Became the first operations platform that is specifically designed for the complexity of a multi-location business with 13 FTEs. Yulia said that growing a business requires balance and professionalism, so she says, "Keep on engaging but don't forget to draw a line." This Cast Covers: Providing software for retail chains and property managers from managing operations. Managing issues that are happening across the locations, tasks compliance, performance, and communications. Expert in simplifying the overall operations in different issues and different locations. Managing projects with over 19,000 locations. Learning how to make phenomenal growth in business. Teaching people to find solutions through the help of technology. Helping entrepreneurs how to overcome their weaknesses in growing a business. Sharing the importance of creating a culture and promoting excellent employees for the growth of the business. Helping entrepreneurs build an organization that represents their value. Giving practical advice on how to be a professional and effective entrepreneur. Additional Resources: Intelocate Amp It Up by Frank Slootman Outside In by Deborah Underwood ________________________ Quotes: "Success means having a profitable business with very happy employees and happy customers." —Yulia Vasilyeva "Build an organization that represents your values." —Yulia Vasilyeva "If you don't have the right attitude at work, then you can easily give up and walk away." —Yulia Valisyeva "Seek knowledge and you'll move smarter." —Yulia Valisyeva "Be friendly, but don't forget to draw a line." —Yulia Vasilyeva ________________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Paul Shepherd from Paulbshepherd based in Sydney, Australia. Paul set up his own Soul Inspired Transformation Coaching to help entrepreneurs and small businesses to find their purpose and design their personal life based on science and genetics. From being a worker and business owner of different fields and industries, Paul decided to find his real purpose and value by doing the things he's passionate about. Paulbshepherd was established in 2020 and has been running for over 2 years. Became the world's first evidence-based life planning methodology using genetics and quantum physics. Paul has said that growing a small business requires passion and consistency, so he says, "Money wasn't the most important thing, it's always been about legacy and things to be proud of." —Paul Shepherd This Cast Covers: Helping entrepreneurs to find their real purpose and real skill sets. Learning how to maximize your profit, energy and flow in life. Providing business coaching and consulting. Helping entrepreneurs align their skills to what they are passionate about. Empower and inspire others to step up and be their best selves. Focusing on serving at the highest level possible. Helping entrepreneurs increase their self worth by adding more value to their work. Learning the importance of consistency. Teaching entrepreneurs how to be an effective leader and lead by example. Learning how to connect with people who are aligned with your values. Additional Resources: Paulbshepherd The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer ___________________ Quotes: "Money wasn't the most important thing, it's always been about legacy and things to be proud of." —Paul Shepherd "Success is all about having a balanced life and doing what makes you more happy and excited." —Paul Shepherd "Sometimes you need to learn when to say no." —Paul Shepherd"Don't just make money, deliver value as it shows who you are as a person." —Paul Shepherd "We've all got a unique design, we're all designed for something specific, regardless of what your resume and credentials says, you actually have a design." —Paul Shepherd ____________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

In this episode, I interview Chris Michael Harris, Founder, CEO & Host of StartupU TV and Podcast, based in Austin, Texas, United States. Chris set up his business to help entrepreneurs obtain high-quality information and education in growing a business. From working at a regular job, Jay decided to quit his job and pursue bigger opportunities. StartupU was established in 2021 and has been running for over a year. Became a firm aimed at delivering the highest quality information to entrepreneurs across the globe with over 8 FTEs. Chris has said that growing a business requires patience and faith, so he says, "A true success takes a long time to achieve, so you better prepare yourself to handle the rainstorms in your journey until you achieve the fruit of your hard work." This Cast Covers: Helping people and entrepreneurs to bring out their unique talent and abilities to find something they can do and like to do. An online business platform focusing on education and vertical integration. Building tools and resources for entrepreneurs. Help build multimillionaire companies with zero outside funding. Integrating online programs with similar growth trajectories. Serving thousands of students all over the world. Passing 65,000 people in just 6 years of growing a business. Helping entrepreneurs enhance their marketing skills. Teaching entrepreneurs how to get their target people. Helping entrepreneurs to focus on impact areas and making sure to get the resources needed. Additional Resources: StartupU The One Thing by Gary Keller Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman ________________________ Quotes: "Success is a north node, and faith is our compass." —Chris Michael Harris "If you're not aligned with God's purpose for your life, you're going to create a miserable prison cell for yourself." —Chris Michael Harris "Don't try to be everything to everyone. Be everything to the people you serve." —Chris Michael Harris "Marketing practices are your campfire, you have to understand what's meaningful to your audience." —Chris Michael Harris "Be proactive, and know that it's going to take way longer than you think it's going to cost a lot more than you think." —Chris Michael Harris ________________________ Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com. License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0