Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast

Being persistent is a critical part of making your Small Business succeed. From the very start, you will face obstacles that you’ll have to break through and go around to create something from nothing. Some of these will be mental, some physical and some logistical. Join us today for episode 186 of the Small Business Show to hear how your co-hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have used their bull-headed persistence to overcome those obstacles during their careers. We discuss the importance of confidence and believing in yourself with tips on how to use your Success List to remind yourself of your achievements to build up your confidence, as well as learning how to maximize your strengths and minimize weaknesses with strategic partners or employees. Shannon then reminds us that patience needs to be a part of your plan – as long as you are moving along the path you set for yourself and your Small Business. Success takes time. You’ll hear about how immersing yourself in your Small Business is an important part of pushing through obstacles and achieving success and how creating habits out of things that work for your business will keep you moving forward on your quest. And while it’s important to have a clear vision of where you want your Small Business to go, we spend some time talking about adjusting and adapting when things don’t go exactly as planned (hint: they never do). We wrap up our discussion with a reminder that commitment to your Small Business success is critical – everything has a cost, get ready to pay it in time and effort to create a successful business that can help you lead that Charmed Life we talk about often on the show. Listin in and then share your story and comments on the Small Business Support Group! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #186 for Wednesday, August 29, 2018 00:01:07 Bull-headed persistence is the key to success 00:02:51 Make sure that you have persistence in your Talent Stack 00:04:50 “Which story is more enjoyable to hear?” – Shannon Jean, ladies and gentlemen 00:06:30 Be confident! The story is part of the reward. 00:07:45 Recognize your achievements 00:09:42 Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World 00:11:29 SPONSOR: Gusto is refreshingly easy payroll, benefits, and HR for the modern small business. Visit Gusto.com/SBS for a free, 3-month trial. 00:13:28 SPONSOR: Timing, for anyone billing their hours. Visit timingapp.com/smallbusiness and get a 14-day free trial and save 10% when you purchase. 00:16:20 Maximize Strengths, Minimize Weaknesses 00:18:04 Be patient… and realistic 00:20:10 Adjust and adapt! 00:22:11 Be in it! 00:25:13 Consider your path 00:25:48 Commitment – Accept the costs 00:29:27 SBS 186 Outtro The post Persistence is Key to Small Business Success – Small Business Show 186 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

What’s more important for your Small Business, profits or cashflow? If you’re a regular listener of the Small Business Show, you know what we think! Join us today as we dig deep into to the importance of managing your available cash and how to get through the inevitable cash-crunch when it hits you. Your co-hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton share their tips, strategies and stories about the why and how of using your accounting software correctly to help with cashflow reporting, why it’s important not to fall in love with your P&L and why you need to avoid the “shiny object” trap that can suck much needed cash out of your business. We then jump into ways to raise cash when you need it quickly, how to use unconventional methods to raise short term cash and ways to manage longer term funding from banks and other lenders. The show wraps up with a discussion about the importance of measuring and different methods to measure all aspects of your business – including your cashflow. Join us today and then share your comments on the Small Business Support Group!     Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #185 for Wednesday, August 22, 2018 00:01:42 “By, For, and About Small Business” 00:04:20 Don’t fall in love with the P&L 00:06:41 Import often! FileMaker QuickBooks AccountEdge 00:08:57 Profits are for other people, Cash is for you 00:10:07 Matching Your Terms 00:12:02 Negative Cash Flow 00:13:01 Buy used! Buy at auction. 00:15:47 SPONSOR: Gusto is refreshingly easy payroll, benefits, and HR for the modern small business. Visit Gusto.com/SBS for a free, 3-month trial. 00:17:22 SPONSOR: Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year. 00:19:15 Sometimes embarrassment is your friend 00:20:01 A 2-inch stack of credit cards to solve your problems 00:21:49 Dump the junk! Accept Sunk Costs. 00:23:00 Timing a blowout 00:24:51 Pick special customers 00:25:30 Sell it for what it’s worth 00:26:06 Slow down your A/P 00:28:24 Things happen – Communicate with your vendors 00:29:40 Treat your vendors like they’re customers 00:30:03 Use your lines of credit wisely 00:31:42 Talk with your banker about “terming it out” 00:34:04 Measure everything 00:36:36 SBS 185 The post How To Manage Your Cashflow – Small Business Show 185 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Getting customers to spend their hard earned dollars at your Small Business is tough, right? How about if you had to convince them to eat insects to get those dollars into your bank account? Join us today as we visit with James Rolin of Cowboy Cricket Farms and hear how this Small Business has used education, creative marketing and stubborn persistence to succeed. Listen in to learn about how feasibility studies can guide you to the right business model, how we’re all eating insects (we just don’t know it), how community outreach as a marketing tool can be powerful and some great tips for working with your spouse and teaching your kids about how to succeed. You’ll also hear about using the Score Mentoring program as a powerful and free tool to grow your business. You’ll learn a lot, but your co-hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton continue to think they are learning the most from our awesome guests. Join us today, then share your story at the Small Business Support Group! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #184 for Wednesday, August 15, 2018 00:01:14 Go for the Gusto 00:01:20 James Rolin from Cowboy Cricket Farms 00:04:30 Doing a Feasibility Study Chocolate Chirp Cookies Bug Buffet 00:06:23 Red Dye 40 – Beetle Shells 00:07:44 Marketing the largest challenge 00:09:33 Contains: Insects 00:11:06 Community Outreach 00:13:26 SPONSOR: Gusto is refreshingly easy payroll, benefits, and HR for the modern small business. Visit Gusto.com/SBS for a free, 3-month trial. 00:14:56 Working with your spouse! 00:16:16 Teach your kids the value of hard work 00:17:20 Score Mentoring Brimstone 00:20:00 Ask for help! Blackstone Launch Pad at MSU 00:21:37 “We don’t know if we’re doing things right.” 00:23:16 Educating … and being educated! 00:24:02 Leverage Stubbornness 00:26:54 Advice: Solve a problem 00:28:16 SBS 184 Outtro CowboyCrickets.com Facebook – Cowboy Crickets The post Small Business Interview with James Rolin of Cowboy Cricket Farms – Small Business Show 184 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

A common misconception is that it’s the great idea that makes a Small Business successful. Join us today on the Small Business Show to hear us dispel that myth and discuss taking Action to propel your business to success. Don’t wait. You’ll hear that message over and over again on this episode of the Small Business Show as Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton share tips to get yourself started – to help move you from Idea to Implementation. Listen in and you’ll hear about the power of removing limits (most of them in your head) to get your business concept on paper, how to create and use an Action Plan to figure out what steps you need to take to make your idea a reality and why we believe creating an Org Chart (even if your name is in every box) is key to planning out the structure of your Small Business. We wrap up the show with a discussion of the ever important Working Agreement and why sometimes you just need to throw structure out the window to just start….Start today. Join us here, then get involved in the discussion at the Small Business Support Group! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #183 for Wednesday, August 8, 2018 00:03:56 Opportunity for Efficiency 00:08:41 Take the time to build systems and micromanage yourself 00:11:27 Takeaway: Re-energize, Dig In Feedback@BusinessShow.co 00:13:21 SPONSOR: Timing, for anyone billing their hours. Visit timingapp.com/smallbusiness and get a 14-day free trial and save 10% when you purchase. 00:15:22 SPONSOR: Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year. 00:17:43 Starting a Business Step 1: Ideas to Action 00:19:28 Go make it happen! 00:21:12 Get it on paper Remove the limits! 00:23:36 Create an action plan Who’s involved? Partner, Banker, Spouse, How much money do you think you’ll need? Add more. 00:24:30 Budget your time. 00:27:51 Failure is part of the process 00:28:30 What other resources do you need? What marketing will you do? 00:29:24 Create an Org Chart The E-Myth 00:33:14 The Working Agreement Concept Partnership organization Partner Contributions (money, time, effort) How is the money split? 00:35:13 The Friendship Clause 00:36:26 Forget all this: get started. Employ those… folks. 00:40:13 SBS 183 Outtro   The post Moving from Idea to Action – Get Started Today With Your Small Business – Small Business Show 183 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

If you own a Small Business, it’s bound to happen: a long-time employee drops a bomb by telling you they are leaving to take a position at another company. How you react can have a dramatic impact both inside and outside your business. Your actions will send a message to both your employees’ and your customers. Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean for this episode of the Small Business Show where they discuss their methods for handling a surprise departure of a key employee. Listen in for tips about not taking things personally, how to gauge the short and long-term impact, managing the timing of the employee’s departure, and why your customers are more concerned about who’s staying vs. who’s leaving. After the show, stop by the Small Business Support Group to share your story and join the discussion! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #182 for Wednesday, August 1, 2018 00:01:37 Carr Fire 00:02:13 “Poor Me” is the wrong attitude 00:04:37 Surprise, I quit! 00:07:18 First question: Why? Can I control this? Do I want to? 00:09:24 Advice: Don’t take it personally! 00:12:48 Second question: What’s the short-term impact 00:14:35 Do they leave immediately? Do they continue to benefit your business? 00:23:01 Do you counter-offer? 00:27:42 Be authentic to be positive People don’t care about who left. They care about who *is* left. 00:32:49 Avoid comfort. Stay on edge. 00:35:14 Let us know your story! feedback@businessshow.co 00:35:44 Loyalty defined. Differently. 00:39:32 A symphony of action! “I don’t need time. I need a deadline.” 00:40:27 SBS 182 The post Loyalty, Losing Key Employees, and Managing Change at your Small Business – Small Business Show 182 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Creating a lifestyle business that funds your Charmed Life is a goal for many Small Business owners. Today on the Small Business Show, we’re joined by Kimanzi Constable, business owner, author, consultant and coach who has created a lifestyle business that we can all learn from. Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton learn how Kimanzi started out small and then built up his business as his credibility grew to the point where he typically travels to 25+ countries each year consulting for Fortune 500 corporations. During our discussion we cover topics including how to power through being told no and being ignored, how the power of small earnings can propel you to larger profits, becoming a knowledge worker, using an email list as the core of your online business, self-marketing tips and much, much more. Listen in and then join the discussion on the Small Business Support Group! Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00:00 Small Business Show #181 for Wednesday, July 25, 2018 00:01:04 Kimanzi Constable 00:02:37 25 Countries per year doing his own thing 00:04:39 Vacation relief – It’s a business! 00:06:45 Corporate Consulting, Consulting Agency, and Training People to do it all Smart Passive Income Podcast 00:09:39 180 Proposals = 36 Paid Gigs 00:11:37 Online vs. Offline Pricing 00:12:26 Be a knowledge worker 00:14:29 “Don’t ever get complacent in your successes” 00:18:05 SPONSOR: Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year. 00:19:35 Email list: the core of what I do online Leverage Permission-based marketing 00:22:09 Self-Marketing Tips Be transparent. Add value. Connect and make yourself available. 00:25:02 Managing time: 70% on business, 10% on marketing, 20% on Netflix 00:26:00 Planning each month’s content plan 00:27:37 Create a business with life balance 00:29:49 Favorite mistake: Over-reaching 00:32:07 Find Kimanzi at kconstable.com 00:32:58 SBS 181 Outtro The post Interview with Kimanzi Constable: Corporate Consulting and Coaching – Small Business Show 181 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Keeping focused while dealing with multiple tasks can be a challenge for any Small Business owner. Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss how they keep focused on the critical parts of their businesses each day. You’ll also learn about the power of taking a break, how to measure productivity and how keeping simple lists can keep you on track each day. Shannon offers up a powerful question to ask yourself when trying to refocus you or your team on a task and we discuss the System vs. Goals approach to be sure you are focusing on the right tasks to fuel your success. It’s then on to a discussion about how to get help to keep your focus with resources like the Small Business Support Group being a great place to get started. Listen in for all this and more on this episode of the Small Business Show!   00:00:00 Small Business Show #180 for Wednesday, July 18, 2018 00:01:54 Focusing on Focus 00:03:49 Value in Play Time 00:05:56 Feeling productive 00:08:09 The immense power of simple lists 00:10:24 What could we be doing to generate more cash? 00:13:28 What is my system? Systems vs. Goals on the Small Business Show 00:16:08 What is the why? 00:17:45 Talk about efficiency and focus with your peers 00:21:00 Small Business Support Group 00:21:29 Focus on why you did this? 00:24:52 Focus on successes 00:26:36 SBS 180 The post Are you Focusing on the Right Things for your Small Business? Small Business Show 180 for July 18, 2018 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

  Join us this week on the Small Business Show for a discussion about current news that could impact your Small Business. Listen in and hear our thoughts about the new Supreme Court ruling regarding online sales tax rules, Amazon’s new Prime delivery business opportunity and our thoughts about mixing your politics with your business.           00:00:00 Small Business Show #179 for Wednesday, July 11, 2018 00:01:47 The Supreme Court changes online sales tax rules 00:05:13 Streamlined Sales Tax 00:07:03 TaxJar 00:09:33 Amazon seeking entrepreneurs for their Prime delivery business 00:14:18 A small business with one customer is not a small business. Walmart pricing with Tiffany-level service 00:16:13 Contact us: feedback@businessshow.co 00:16:32 SPONSOR: Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year. 00:18:44 The politics of mixing politics with your business 00:26:05 The nuances of communicating politics 00:28:37 SBS 178 Outtro The post Small Business News Roundup for July 2018- Small Business Show episode 179 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

Join us this week on the Small Business Show for an insightful interview with Winemaker Tony Biagi to hear his story of moving from being employed by wineries to starting his own consulting business and eventually creating his own wine label, Patria. During this episode, you’ll learn about how Tony built his own brand equity with his consulting business and how Tony learned early on to “not chase money, let it chase you”. Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss with Tony the challenges of stepping into situations where you are there to solve problems and how he works through the “because we’ve always done it this way” mentality. Tony talks about how nature plays a huge role in his business and how he has adapted to take advantage of the good and downplay when things don’t go right. We ask Tony about his favorite mistake and we were not surprised to hear a common answer of “apprehension” and not taking the jump early enough to go out on his own. Listen in for all this and more before you join us over on the Small Business Support Group with your questions and comments. 00:00:00 Small Business Show #178 for Wednesday, July 4, 2018 00:01:42 Tony Biagi Winemaker, Consultant, Entrepreneur Patria Wines 00:02:43 Winemaking: a marine biologists dream Wine Aroma Wheel 00:04:38 Formulating a plan… and seeing it through to fruition Don’t chase money, let it chase you 00:07:28 Building your own brand equity while consulting 00:09:30 Trust your gut, own your decisions. 00:11:17 Think critically, be proactive 00:12:07 Blossom yourself and your business by empowering others to do the job 00:14:49 Every decision needs a purpose “Because we did it before” is not a good answer 00:17:00 Stop and recognize the charmed life 00:18:44 When nature plays a role in your business 00:20:55 Protect your reputation 00:21:40 Weather patterns, “Global Weirding”, and Risk Management 00:23:31 Tony’s favorite mistake: Apprehension 00:24:51 Believe in yourself and take the jump! 00:25:06 Stop chasing your competitors and start working on your business 00:26:26 Accept your role Chase what you love, money will find you 00:28:22 Focus on what’s next Relationships and people 00:30:38 Find Tony Biagi: tony@patriawines.com Patriawines Instagram Why not What 00:36:00 You’re buying the person and the product 00:36:57 SBS Outtro The post Interview with Winemaker Tony Biagi – Small Business Show 178 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

    Hiring the right person for your Small Business is critically important. Hire wrong and you could be making a very expensive mistake. Join us today on the Small Business Show as we discuss the where, when and how of hiring. Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have hired hundreds of employees for their businesses during their careers. Listen in to hear tips on where to find qualified candidates, how to make sure you actually need to hire in the first place and what steps to take during the hiring process to insure you get the right person for the job. 00:00:00 Small Business Show #177 for Wednesday, June 27, 2018 00:02:41 Cory asks: Where, When, and How to Hire? Hire slowly, fire quickly 00:03:53 Where to hire? Craigslist Monster Indeed Beeya LinkedIn Jobs 00:09:09 Communicate your culture to attract the right people 00:10:26 What’s the value add? 00:13:19 Do you need to hire? 00:15:02 SPONSOR: Simple Contacts – Get $30 off at https://simplecontacts.com/sbs or enter SBS at checkout 00:16:58 SPONSOR: Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year. 00:18:20 How to Hire? Test to see how people handle situations 00:20:56 Use the litmus test to sell your company to candidates 00:22:30 Salary history… if you can! 00:24:13 Test communication through the entire process 00:27:00 Double-team interviewing 00:28:37 What’s one thing I should remember about you? 00:30:20 The power of silence 00:31:50 The offer: your time to sell! 00:33:51 Don’t skip new-hire orientation! 00:35:43 Contact us! feedback@businessshow.co Small Business Support Group 00:36:15 SBS Outtro The post Hiring for your Small Business – Small Business Show episode 177 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.