Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast
Shannon Jean & Dave Hamilton
Two long-time small-business owners, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, come to you each week to talk through the trials, success, pitfalls and tips it takes to successfully run a small business in today's world. Hear real-world folks talk about real-world problems, letting you know not only what it takes to get it done but that you're not alone in doing it!
FridAI + New vs. Better
This episode of Business Brain explores strategies for innovation, marketing, and leveraging AI to optimize your business. Hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss how businesses can stay top-of-mind with partners by regularly reaching out with valuable updates. They introduce a new system for vetting podcast sponsors, ensuring that hosts are enthusiastic about the advertisers they promote.
A key theme is the challenge of proving advertising effectiveness. They discuss the strengths and limi
10 Years of Business Brain
The episode celebrates the 10th anniversary of Business Brain and reflects on the challenges and lessons learned from a decade of podcasting. Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean emphasize the importance of consistency, particularly in the face of life’s obstacles, and how having a co-host or accountability partner helps maintain momentum. They discuss how measuring success in podcasting can be challenging compared to other businesses with clearer metrics.
Dave shares a list of 10 lessons from his yea
FridAI + Understanding Context
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean explore the power of AI tools in transforming how entrepreneurs analyze data and streamline decision-making. Shannon shares a fascinating story about using AI to assess and value items from a liquidation auction quickly, saving hours of manual research and enabling smarter bidding strategies. Dave and Shannon discuss the importance of leveraging AI as a collaborator to organize and enhance productivity without replacing personal c
The Hunt for Dopamine
Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss tips and strategies to stay motivated as entrepreneurs and manage tasks, including “grunt work.” They share personal tactics like breaking tasks into smaller chunks, using dopamine rewards (e.g., taking breaks, engaging in enjoyable activities), and leveraging the fear of failure to push through unappealing tasks. They highlight the importance of maintaining momentum by celebrating small wins and integrating fun tasks into the workday.
They also explore the
The FridAI Update - AI for the Rest of Us
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon talk about how the internet warps our sense of success. Shannon shares how getting 15 likes on a post feels like a failure online, but if 15 people came up to you after an in-person talk, you’d feel like a rockstar. They remind listeners not to get caught up in the numbers game and to appreciate real connections, even if it’s just one person being impacted by your work. Dave brings up how they used to feel that 3,000 podcast downloads a week wa
The Only Constant is Change
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon kick things off with a fun nod to National Shower with a Friend Day. They chat about the show’s upcoming 10th anniversary on February 19th and brainstorm some celebration ideas, like giveaways for listeners who submit questions or leave reviews. They’re still deciding what the prize will be, but promise it’ll be something big.
The main focus of the episode is all about embracing change in business. Shannon shares a story about a client whose pr
Don't Confuse the Delivery System with what You are Selling
Here’s a summary of the episode:
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss the importance of understanding what you’re truly selling, beyond just the delivery mechanism. They explore how businesses often mistake their product or service for the actual value they provide, emphasizing that customers are really looking for transformation rather than just a transaction. Shannon shares insights from his coaching business, illustrating how people may come to him for gui
Living Through Economic Cycles
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The 10-Year Overnight Success
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Scott Jordan, Founder of SCOTTeVest
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Using Emotion and Desire in Your Business
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The Every Platform Experiment
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Getting Comfortable with Chaos
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Nuhuel Hilal, Founder - Iris Tattoo
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EOY Expenses and Deals
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Selling is Not Enough + Year End Tasks
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Tusca Outdoors Co-founder Adam Janney
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Vetting Opportunities Quickly
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Adding Your Personality to Your Business
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Once You Solve for Money
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Freedom or Flexibility - What's more important?
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Erica Bethe Levin, Founder and CEO of Globowl
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Right Time to Retire + Don't Ignore First Steps
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AI Copyright + Exponential Upside
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AI Saved My Ass
In this episode of the Business Brain podcast, hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean share personal anecdotes to emphasize the importance of understanding one’s audience and leveraging AI tools to navigate tricky situations. Shannon shares a humorous experience with LED candles at vacation rentals, highlighting the unpredictability of guest behavior. […]
The post AI Saved My Ass – Business Brain 595 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.
What's in Your Credibility Stack?
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Family Business Dinner Table Lessons
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Michael Prendamano - The Bin Store
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"Tells" of Successful People
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon discuss a variety of topics, starting with the expansion of Spirit Halloween stores into the Christmas season with Spirit Christmas, highlighting the pop-up retail model’s risk-managed approach. They then dive into Michael Girdley’s list of “11 tells of successful people,” exploring traits like clarity of speech, the ability to take action, and a willingness to take risks and be introspective. Shannon shares his own experiences with entrepreneu
Risk is a Competitive Advantage
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon dive into several topics, including wedding planning insights, tools for managing emails effectively, and the concept of risk aversion in entrepreneurship. They discuss how tools like SaneBox can streamline email management by filtering out non-essential emails and setting reminders to ensure timely follow-ups, particularly for entrepreneurs and salespeople. They also explore the importance of taking risks as an entrepreneur, highlighting that
Smaller Budget = More Headaches
In this episode of Business Brain, hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean explore AI’s impact on business practices. They introduce “AI IRL,” sharing how they use tools like Freepik for generating visuals and Cast Magic for transforming content efficiently. The conversation addresses client relations, focusing on the influence of budget sizes and the importance of clear communication. They highlight the balance between providing quality service and managing expectations while inviting listeners to
In Your Neighborhood + Poshmark Fee Structure
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the evolving landscape of online selling, focusing on the recent changes to Poshmark’s fee structure. I share my experiences from building a successful handbag business on the platform, discussing how the new tiered fees—which can drop sellers’ earnings to as low as 5.9%—may impact buyer behavior and seller strategies. We analyze the potential consequences of introducing buyer fees and how this shift aims to attract high-ticket sellers while navigati
Lifetime SEO
In this episode of Business Brain, we examine travel dynamics and the lessons learned through family trips. Dave shares insights from his Disney World experience, emphasizing the importance of adapting expectations for diverse family needs.
Shannon recounts his New York City journey, highlighting time management strategies and innovative solutions like a three-wheeled walker for his mother.
The discussion covers resource management in high-demand environments, particularly with systems like D
AI Update + Explain Your Business
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon discuss the intersection of AI and entrepreneurship. Shannon shares his transition from traditional search engines to AI tools like ChatGPT, highlighting practical applications for small businesses. The conversation covers the advancements in AI that enhance creative processes and how Apple Intelligence aids in information management.
Shannon reflects on his journey to building a media company focused on consulting and knowledge-sharing, empha
Hiring Risk vs. Investment
In this episode of Business Brain, we examine the importance of organizational charts for enhancing efficiency and communication, even for solopreneurs. We discuss how defined roles facilitate quicker problem-solving and smoother operations.
We also analyze the strategic implications of hiring new sales representatives, weighing options for financing these positions. Additionally, we explore when to shift client accounts from “house accounts” to those needing active management, emphasizing the
Being Intentional with Your Time
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss strategies for managing a diverse social media presence effectively. By mastering one platform at a time, we can foster genuine engagement and tailor content to specific audiences. We highlight the value of delegation through a content manager, which eases the burden of content creation while preserving authenticity.
We also explore the importance of intentionality in commitments, sharing my experience stepping back from a draining volunteer role. Th
How You Present an Idea is as Important as the Idea Itself
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the art of effective idea presentation, using vacation rental maintenance as a case study to underscore stakeholder engagement. We discuss the financial benefits of full-time employees versus contractors and introduce the “two-week experiment” to foster buy-in.
We highlight the significance of body language, eye contact, and humor in communication, sharing personal experiences to illustrate engagement techniques. We wrap up with a call for listener
Are You Coachable?
In this episode of Business Brain, we examine coachability and its vital role in personal and professional growth. Building on insights from Dan Magazoo of Ride the Wave, we discuss the shift towards rapid scaling in entrepreneurship and the essential qualities of a coachable person, such as self-awareness and accountability.
We share anecdotes illustrating how owning mistakes can foster a positive learning environment while also highlighting the importance of optimism in engaging with mentorsh
Daniel Magazu from Ride the Wave
In this episode of Business Brain, we talk with Daniel Magazu, founder of Ride the Wave, about organic content marketing for home services. Daniel discusses his entrepreneurial journey and how Facebook groups can empower businesses to engage with local communities, particularly targeting decision-makers like moms.
He emphasizes authenticity in social media strategies, crafting genuine client introductions that highlight community contributions. The discussion also covers the importance of adher
Fearless or Foolish?
In this episode of Business Brain, we tackle procrastination on Fight Procrastination Day 2024. Shannon and I share our experiences, exploring how anxiety often fuels our delays while sometimes leading to better decision-making. We discuss the challenges of managing multiple projects and consider using virtual assistants and innovative tools like Crush to improve productivity.
Reflecting on fear, we highlight its dual role as both protective and limiting, with insights from Brian Friss on makin
Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the significance of Global Talent Acquisition Day and its role in business strategy. We explore the origins of this day, established by KRT Marketing in 2018, and share methodologies to improve talent acquisition processes.
Through a personal anecdote, we emphasize the need for model release forms to protect intellectual property rights and suggest practical onboarding steps for securing consent.
The conversation highlights risk-taking in business,
Borrowed Credibility
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss strategies for enhancing entrepreneurial skills and navigating social situations. We introduce the concept of “foot-in-mouth disease,” encouraging listeners to embrace potential embarrassment as a catalyst for growth. Sharing experiences from a trade show and a concert, I highlight the importance of engaging with others.
We also cover “borrowed credibility,” a method we used to gain testimonials and experience for our coaching business. We explore th
The Business of Podcast Advertising
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean delve into the podcasting landscape, focusing on the dynamics between content creators, sponsors, and audience privacy. Dave shares insights from Podcast Movement, highlighting his presentation on an efficient podcast workflow developed over two decades, emphasizing the vital role of consistency in content release.
The conversation shifts to privacy issues surrounding podcast advertising, with the hosts discussing the lessons lea
The Power of Personal
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the importance of personal connections in business. We share insights from the auction world and a significant find on a liquidation site, emphasizing consumer behavior and economic trends.
We discuss how to infuse authenticity into branding by sharing personal stories and fostering trust with clients. The power of storytelling is highlighted as a key marketing strategy.
Additionally, we touch on language nuances in marketing and provide practical a
The Fight Against Complexity
In this episode of Business Brain, I, Dave Hamilton, and co-host Shannon Jean discuss Internet Self-Care Day and the balance between productivity and burnout. Sharing personal experiences, we address the anxiety of overlapping commitments and the importance of saying no. We also emphasize simplicity in business operations and clear communication as keys to enhancing productivity. I invite listeners to reflect on their own struggles with finding balance and share their insights.
00:00:00 Busines
Free Flow Friday
In this episode of Business Brain, Shannon and Dave discuss problem-solving and efficiency in entrepreneurship, using personal experiences as illustrations. We draw parallels between kayak design and simplifying business processes while highlighting the importance of considering simple solutions like Occam’s Razor. Through anecdotes about seeking expert help and a client overwhelmed by data, we advocate for a bias towards action over analysis paralysis. We also reflect on our podcasting journey,
Joe Benson of Eversite
In episode 573 of Business Brain, hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean interview Joe Benson, founder of Eversite, a digital marketing agency. Joe discusses his journey from creating websites as a child to launching the innovative “website as a service” model, making web services affordable for small businesses. He shares insights on leveraging social media for lead generation and emphasizes the importance of communication in demonstrating the value of digital marketing.
Joe also addresses the c
All Your Eggs in Someone Else's Basket
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon stress the importance of making customers feel special and valued, drawing inspiration from lead singers like Pat Monaghan and Sammy Hagar. They emphasize the significance of personalized interactions through simple gestures like using customers’ names to establish emotional connections.
The hosts share personal anecdotes to illustrate the impact of personalized customer interactions and discuss the necessity of diversifying online presence to
The $1000 Brain Switch
On Business Brain, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss boosting productivity and cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset. They share insights on outsmarting the system, taking breaks for productivity, and the importance of making initial income as an entrepreneur. Emphasizing financial independence through calculated risks and diverse income streams, they encourage listeners to embrace entrepreneurship. The episode aims to inspire individuals to reshape their mindset for success and empowermen
Priority is not Plural
Join us in this episode as we reflect on International Beer Day and explore the acquired taste of beer. We then delve into a discussion on Sam Walton’s approach to change in business, focusing on the concept of the “RC factor” – resistance to change. Discover how our pattern-seeking minds can lead to resistance to change and the importance of identifying and staying true to our priorities.
Learn about managing priorities based on interests, the role of self-awareness, and how systems and resour
What is Your Unfair Advantage?
In this episode of Business Brain, we discussed how businesses can leverage their unique strengths as unfair competitive advantages. We shared examples and personal experiences to emphasize the importance of recognizing and maximizing these strengths to stand out in the market. Listeners were encouraged to reflect on their own businesses and share their stories at businessbrain.show for further discussion on this critical aspect of business strategy.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’
Business Brain Intermission
Business Brain is taking an intermission this week! Visit your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, on 𝕏 for daily updates.
We will be back with you next week!
The post Business Brain Intermission appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.
Get Comfortable Being Different – Business Brain 568
In this episode of Business Brain, we emphasize the value of embracing one’s differences and sharing personal narratives, even in embarrassing situations like getting locked out of a hotel room in just a hoodie. By owning our quirks and transforming challenges into relatable stories, we can connect authentically with others and shape our own narratives, celebrating individuality and sharing experiences with pride.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #568 for Casual Friday, July
Should You Mix Politics with Your Business?
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the challenges faced in daily business operations, focusing on managing unexpected disruptions and the importance of task prioritization. We also discuss incorporating personal opinions, particularly on political matters, into business platforms, emphasizing the need for creating a neutral environment to respect diverse viewpoints and uphold a positive reputation.
The conversation stresses the caution and responsibility of engaging in social comment
Stopping a Coup
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss leveraging AI algorithms like ChatGPT for targeted marketing, handling internal conflicts within companies, and managing teams effectively. The hosts share personal anecdotes and insights on balancing business needs with employee satisfaction. The episode offers practical advice and engaging storytelling for business owners and entrepreneurs.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #566 for Casual Friday, July 12th, 2024
July 12th: Nat
Right Person, Right Position
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon discuss the nuances of business and management. They explore the significance of recognizing employees’ strengths and preferences to ensure they thrive in their roles. The conversation highlights the importance of promoting self-awareness within a company culture and learning from unsuccessful promotions for growth. The hosts invite listeners to share their experiences on managing employee roles effectively in their businesses.
00:00:00 Busine
Building Confidence
Join us on Business Brain as Dave and Shannon cover topics from National Workaholics Day to confidence in business. Shannon shares how confidence helped his negotiations as a landscape company manager. They discuss the impact of language, appearance, and humility on building confidence and effective communication.
The conversation highlights the role of small wins, deferring to experts, and adapting communication to different audiences in boosting confidence. They emphasize the importance of sup
The Power of Lifestyle Businesses
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon discuss the misconceptions surrounding lifestyle businesses, sharing stories of individuals finding success by enjoying the day-to-day work. They highlight the importance of enjoying the business grind rather than just the end result, reflecting on their own experiences with multiple lifestyle businesses. The hosts delve into the significance of having multiple revenue streams for financial stability and encourage listeners to explore unconvent
Your Risk Tolerance Scale
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon discuss the impact of handling bad reviews on social media and avoiding public venting. They highlight the importance of incentivizing positive reviews and maintaining a constructive approach towards feedback.
Transitioning to risk tolerance in business, they share personal insights and stress the significance of recalibrating one’s risk scale over time. Reflecting on past decisions, they emphasize making informed choices and offering tailored
The Shift from Negotiation to Collaboration
In this episode, we explore the intricacies of navigating a challenging business deal negotiation, delving into the frustrations encountered when faced with one-sided and unreasonable agreements from opposing legal teams. The speaker emphasizes the shift towards collaboration over mere negotiation to achieve a mutually agreeable outcome.
The discussion highlights the importance of active participation in negotiations and maintaining a balance between assertiveness and cooperation. The episode c
Alex Forbes Lane 17 Cabinet Co - Part 2
Dave Hamilton, Shannon Jean, and Alex Forbes from Lane 17 Cabinets discuss building systems and output thinking in business. Alex shares his journey transitioning from furniture making to focusing on cabinets, emphasizing lean manufacturing principles, delegation, and hiring for continuous improvement.
They mention “Output Thinking” by John Seifer, the challenges of managing growth, and the value of seeking outside help. Alex highlights the importance of learning and adapting, sharing his exper
Alex Forbes from Lane 17 Cabinet Co, Part 1
On Business Brain, we chat with Alex Forbes, founder of Lane 17 Cabinet Company. Alex traces his entrepreneurial evolution from woodworking to specialized cabinetry amid pandemic challenges. He discusses delegation, lean principles, and continuous improvement, crediting the X community for support. The conversation emphasizes authenticity in social media, learning from experiences, and collaboration opportunities for entrepreneurs online.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #55
Saved by my Ego
Join us on Business Brain as we explore a fresh segment idea for animal shelters, envisioning a community-based system where dog adopters provide mutual support like pet-sitting. We discuss the potential for shelters to offer additional services for financial sustainability and touch on the concept of “business therapy.” Sharing a personal anecdote, we reflect on the importance of humility and continuous learning. Embracing challenges and feedback, we encourage a collaborative environment for gr
Coaches and Courses
Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss the superhero complex in entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of empowering others and letting go of control. They explore the qualities of a good coach and the value of defining success metrics when seeking coaching. The hosts reflect on featuring coaches on the show, considering the insights they could offer on coaching strategies. They invite audience feedback on effective coaching characteristics and encourage open dialogue for shared learning.
Power Phrases + Mobile Locker Co
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon share light-hearted banter about donuts and amusing business jargon before delving into Dave’s exhilarating experience at a Rolling Stones concert. They discuss the Mobile Locker Company’s innovative solution for secure storage at events, praising its business model and problem-solving abilities. The conversation transitions to logistical challenges at venues, emphasizing the importance of efficient entry and exit procedures.
The episode wrap
Become a Master of Compartmentalization
Join us in this episode of Business Brain, marking our 555th episode, as Dave and Shannon share insights on consistency and persistence in business success. We explore compartmentalization, emphasizing clear boundaries, designated workspaces, and prioritizing tasks with the Eisenhower matrix.
We also discuss delegation of non-core tasks and reflecting on accomplishments through a “to-did” list. Share your compartmentalization tips with us as we collectively enhance our business prowess. Tune in
Balance and Chaos
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the importance of balancing chaos and routine in life. We discuss how alternating between periods of overload and downtime can keep life engaging and prevent monotony. By sharing personal anecdotes of busy schedules, hosting guests, and finding relaxation, we redefine retirement as a phase for new adventures and risks. We highlight the significance of chaos in creating lasting memories and narratives, encouraging listeners to share their own strategi
What's in it for me?
In this episode of Business Brain, we discussed the significance of addressing customer needs by focusing on “what’s in it for me.” Emphasizing a customer-centric approach, we explored leveraging social proof, showcasing real-world examples, and aligning marketing strategies with customer preferences to build trust and lasting relationships. By prioritizing customer feedback and delivering exceptional experiences, businesses can enhance their marketing strategies, drive growth, and create meanin
The RISEN AI Framework
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the frustrations with traditional banks and the need for improved banking practices, prompted by a recent experience with Zelle.
Shifting focus, we explore the RISEN method for enhancing productivity and content creation through AI interactions. Delving into AI tools like Cast Magic and Loom, we unveil their transformative capabilities in synthesizing and repurposing content across platforms. Looking ahead, we envision AI as a powerful assistant in
Tyler Purcell - Laundromats and Finance
On this May 22nd episode of Business Brain, Tyler Purcell, COO of Kiplinger Wealth Advisors and co-founder of The Laundry Spot, shares his journey from finance to laundromats, emphasizing patience and persistence in achieving goals like a community on 20 acres.
He highlighted the value of social media for industry connections, embracing entrepreneurship, and finding a balance between personal and professional life. Tyler’s story inspires taking initiative, seizing opportunities, and fostering m
The Power of Presumed Failure
In this episode of Business Brain, we delve into effective email communication by discussing phrases to avoid and the impact they have on recipients. The speakers share their insights on using clear and direct language in emails to convey messages efficiently. One speaker shares a recent experience managing unexpected changes for a business event in New York City, highlighting the importance of managing expectations and staying composed in challenging situations.
The significance of personal co
Hiring Global Talent
Join Business Brain as we explore effective decision-making with government agencies and hiring global talent. Discover “snowball decision-making” for handling obligations and learn about transparent negotiations.
Explore hiring remote assistants and the importance of cultural alignment and effective communication. Gain insights on assessing performance and fostering successful business operations with remote talent.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #549 for Causal Wednesda
Finding Sponsors for your Podcast
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon delve into the challenges and heroism of small business owners. They discuss transitioning into a management role, delegating tasks, and the struggles of micromanagement. Dave shares insights on podcast marketing, advising on audience building, consistency, and sponsor attraction criteria. The importance of authenticity in podcasting is stressed for audience engagement. They conclude with encouragement for aspiring podcasters to stay consistent
Why You Should Be Using Loom
Today’s episode covers observing national days in podcasts, hosting fundraisers for conservation, and applying business strategies to enhance non-profit events. We discuss the role of business-minded individuals in event organization, emphasizing delegation and volunteer empowerment. Highlighting listener contributions, we explore screen recording tools like Loom for improved communication and training videos, encouraging creativity in enhancing daily efficiency through different mediums.
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The Power of a Press Release
Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss the impact of language on mindset and actions, advocating for reframing negative self-talk into positive affirmations. They highlight the value of confidently promoting businesses by emphasizing quality rather than hyperbole, utilizing press releases, accomplishments, and testimonials to shape a positive narrative. Encouraging listeners to proactively share their successes, engage with customers for testimonials, and build a strong online presence for credi
The Lonely Entrepreneur
Join us on Business Brain as we explore maximizing credit card rewards and the importance of social connections for entrepreneurs. Discover strategies for using credit cards wisely to earn rewards, negotiate vendor payments, and select cards that suit individual needs.
Then, we delve into the impact of social isolation on entrepreneurs’ mental and physical health, emphasizing the value of fostering social interactions within teams and joining peer groups for support. Share your tips on maximizi
LMA $ > FU $
n this episode, we discuss the challenges of exhausting video calls in work settings and suggest turning off cameras for better focus. We also explore the concept of “Leave Me Alone Money” (LMA) for financial independence, emphasizing autonomy in pursuing personal goals over accumulating wealth. Advantages of LMA money in career decisions and life fulfillment are highlighted, encouraging audience feedback on personal empowerment.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #544 for Cas
Enjoy Life While You Have It
Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean on Business Brain share personal stories and reflections on enjoying life’s journey as entrepreneurs. They emphasize balancing work and enjoyment, sharing lessons from personal experiences. The hosts encourage prioritizing activities one enjoys and tease an upcoming episode on “how much is enough.” The episode concludes […]
The post Enjoy Life While You Have It – Business Brain 543 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.
Growing Your Brand on Social - X and Beyond
In this episode of Business Brain, Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton share strategies for building a social media following. Shannon’s success story of growing from 500 to 5,600 genuine followers in 90 days highlights the power of organic growth. We discuss joining growth groups, engaging authentically, and the significance of consistency in content creation and interaction. Leveraging an alter ego for protection against negativity, creating a supportive community, and injecting energy into interac
Gabe Trevizo - Winning Shark Tank and More
In this episode of Business Brain, we delve into Gabe Treviso’s entrepreneurial journey, exploring his transition from real estate to creating Suds2Go. Gabe shares the inspiration behind his portable hand washing system, which he gained from parenting challenges, and discusses his Shark Tank experience, unexpected growth during the pandemic, and the significance of a solid business foundation. We touch upon hiring strategies, remote team building, continuous learning, risk-taking, and work-life
Managing Family Time as an Entrepreneur
In this episode of Business Brain, we touch on various topics such as taxes, selling business stock, and musicians selling their catalogs for capital gains. We share anecdotes about log camp, time management with family, and unconventional wealth building methods. Emphasizing communication and boundaries, we highlight the importance of balancing work, family, and personal time.
Personal experiences like dedicating time for family, leveraging tools like Apple’s focus mode, and cherishing device-f
Fear of the IRS + Value of Consensus
In this episode of Business Brain, we delve into IRS tax complexities on National Report IRS Tax Fraud Day, emphasizing accurate filing, savings maximization, and proactive communication with the IRS for issue resolution. We discuss the host’s experience joining the Sounds Profitable trade group, highlighting networking benefits, industry influence, and collaboration opportunities. The conversation underscores the importance of overcoming biases, fostering consensus, and embracing diverse perspe
The Most Powerful Leverage in the World
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore Cheech and Chong’s business journey, evolving into a successful comedy duo with cannabis-related humor. Shannon discusses his upcoming book on entrepreneurship and the power of optimism in business. We delve into reframing thoughts, using positive language, and supporting peers for success. Consistent positivity and mutual support are highlighted as keys to thriving in business. Listeners are invited to share their input on success strategies for col
Helping, Not Helping
Join hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean in this episode of Business Brain as they explore the essential elements of business strategy and personal development. They delve into the concept of creating long-term value through intentional planning and decision-making, emphasizing the notion of delayed instant gratification for future rewards. Drawing from personal anecdotes, they discuss the importance of resiliently navigating setbacks, reframing failures as opportunities for growth, and making
SOPs, Loom, and Delegating
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the landscape of podcast conferences, focusing on Podcast Movement Evolutions in Los Angeles. We discuss the evolution of these conferences from intimate gatherings to larger, more commercial events. We share insights on the industry’s confusion about which conference to attend and stress the significance of human connections in a transactional business environment.
Dave shares a personal anecdote about a conversation with Dallas Taylor, the creator
Growth Madness - The Power of Collaboration
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave and Shannon discuss their recent experiences with snowfall, leisure activities, and the value of persistence. They delve into a story about the Hoover Dam and how it relates to the importance of persistence in achieving success over time. Reflecting on their journey of hosting the show for ten years, they emphasize the significance of persistence and consistency in building a successful business.
Shannon shares his recent focus on the X platform and his in
Two Free Drinks and The Black Keys
In this episode, Dave recounts a vivid experience of attending a concert at a small venue during South by Southwest. Additionally, the discussion encompasses business strategies, customer relations, and the impact of personal interactions on professional success, underscoring the significance of authenticity, empathy, and goodwill. Overall, the episode intertwines storytelling, insights, and practical lessons to showcase the potential of positive attitudes and respectful communication in variou
Are You Getting a Partner or an Employee?
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the intricacies of unpaid work and the dynamics of partnerships in businesses. We touch upon how Reddit moderators and event volunteers are compensated, discuss the value unpaid interns bring, and the importance of structuring unpaid work arrangements effectively.
Transitioning to partnerships, we delve into the challenges of partners displaying employee-like behaviors, stress the need for clear agreements, and highlight the significance of treating
Negotiating Like an Auctioneer + Vampires
Join us as Shannon and Dave come to you from SXSW to discuss how using Auctioneer tactics can help during negotiations and how to eliminate the Vampires in your life. Listen in for a lively episode of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #532 for Wednesday, March 13th, 2024
March 13: Fill Our Staplers Day
SXSW
00:01:43 Division of Labor
Shannon Jean on X
The Random Show with Tim Ferriss & Kevin Rose
00:06:52 Dissecting a SXSW Session: Dia Bondi – Ask Like a
Partner Payouts
Join us in discussing the importance of managing energy in business, shifting from energy-draining to energy-giving projects. We explore effective energy leverage, share insights on determining salaries and profit distributions among partners, and emphasize the need for clear agreements in financial management. Embrace resilience and collaboration in entrepreneurship as we navigate the dynamic interplay of energy, financial planning, and partnership dynamics.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entre
The Alter Ego Effect
Join us today for Business Brain 530. We discuss how to keep that “chip on your shoulder” and how to find your next “zero.” We then jump into a discussion of the Alter Ego Effect developed by Todd Herman. Listen and learn!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #530 for Wednesday, March 6th, 2024
March 6: Day Of The Dude
00:01:09 How do you put the chip back on your shoulder?
Managing Your Ego
Spending Willpower or Discipline Points
What is your next zero?
Identify Your Motiva
Imitation Before Creation
In this episode of Business Brain, we delve into the concept of starting over and the significance of learning and adapting in the business realm. We discuss the advantages of emulating successful strategies while infusing your unique touch to differentiate yourself. We underscore the importance of serving your team, employees, and customers to foster loyalty and credibility. Entrepreneurship is likened to a blue-collar job that demands hands-on involvement and a commitment to ongoing learning.
Creating a Quality Newsletter
Join us in this episode as we explore the benefits of taking breaks to recharge, share our own travel experiences, and the value of disconnecting from work tasks. We emphasize effective time management and integrating events into schedules to prevent monotony.
Additionally, we delve into the significance of emails in business operations, emphasizing the importance of a strong email strategy and impactful newsletters. We discuss leveraging AI tools like Grammarly and structuring newsletters effec
Creating a Cult of Customers
Join us as we talk about ChatGPT, Pixelmator and why the band Phish is just like Costco when it comes to creating cult-like customer loyalty.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #527 for Casual Friday, February 23rd, 2024
February 23: National Rationalization Day
00:01:30 Using AI for your business
ChatGPT
Pixelmator
00:06:46 SPONSOR: Squared Away empowers highly-educated military spouses to become trusted remote executive assistants, all working on US hours.
00:08:21 Dav
9 Year Anniversary + Dealing with Chargebacks
In this episode of Business Brain, we look back at the show’s evolution over the last nine years, from Doing Business As to Small Business Show and finally to Business Brain. We share our challenges and triumphs, such as releasing books and growing our community through podcasting. Our conversation highlights the significance of consistent engagement and adapting our format to enhance audience participation.
We also recount a personal story of a significant financial setback due to fraud, stres
When The Guest Interviews The Hosts
You don’t want to miss this episode of Business Brain! We let the recording run long from our interview with Ryan Sneddon in episode 524 and Ryan began interviewing your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean.
This casual conversation about the history of Business Brain and building a foundation for success could be the most important show we’ve ever done.
Listen in!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #525 for Wednesday, February 16, 2024
00:01:12 February 16: National Almond D
Building a Local Newsletter Business
In this episode of Business Brain, Ryan Sneddon shares his success with the Naptown Scoop, a local newsletter in Annapolis, Maryland. He discusses how he grew his subscriber base and generated revenue through sponsored ads. Ryan also talks about his passion for teaching others and his plans to help people start their own successful newsletters.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #524 for Wednesday, February 14th, 2024
00:01:12 February 14: National Ferris Wheel Day
00:01:49 N
Being Known + True Fans
What are you known for? What reputation does your business have? Listen in to this episode of Business Brain as we discuss the idea of being known for a specific trait or action. We also jump into the concept of fans vs. followers and why the idea of 1000 true fans is so powerful. Join us!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #523 for Casual Friday, February 9th, 2024
February 9: National Pizza Day
00:01:08 The Value of Becoming Known For Something
Not Famous, But Known
0
Influencer Illusions - Hype or Reality
Should you be using influencer marketing on social media for your business? Join us today as we discuss one of our experiences with influencers along with ideas for connecting with more customers and the importance of being responsive.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #522 for Wednesday, February 7th, 2024
February 7: Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor Day
00:01:24 The Value of Responsiveness
Get a Home Warranty
00:05:45 Rebranding
00:06:48 SPONSOR: Squared Away e
Under The Table Trouble
In this episode of Business Brain, we explore the power of Google My Business pages in driving success through customer reviews. We discuss the challenges older business owners face in finding successors and the risks involved in cash transactions. We emphasize the importance of operating within the boundaries of the law and invite listeners to share their thoughts on legal business practices. Gratitude to our sponsors, Squared Away and Gusto, for their support. Tune in for another episode next
Dumpsters and Digital Marketing
Join us today as we learn about the connection between dumpster rental and SEO digital marketing with Bodhi Gallo of iRentDumpsters and Stryker Digital.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #520 for Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
00:01:18 Bodhi Gallo from @IRentDumpsters and Stryker-Digital
FinancialFreedom101.blog
Danbury Trashers
00:08:29 Publishing Maps on X for “Near Me” search results
00:09:29 SPONSOR: Squared Away empowers highly-educated military spouses to become trust
Messaging You Can't Ignore
In this episode, we discuss a new government requirement for businesses to identify their beneficial owners and share practical tips based on my own experience. We also highlight our sponsors, Gusto and Squared Away, offering time-saving solutions for payroll and HR management, as well as remote executive assistance. Additionally, we delve into the significance of effective email communication and provide guidelines to ensure clarity and efficiency. Join us to improve your business processes and
Using SWOT for your Small Business
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the importance of SWOT analysis in evaluating a business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We emphasize the significance of team collaboration, innovation, and staying ahead in the market. We also share personal anecdotes and explore the power of family unity and creating a motto. Join the Business Brain community at businessbrain.show and check out our sponsors at gusto.com/businessbrain. Until next time, keep living that charmed
When Your Customer is Wrong
What do you do when your customer is W-R-O-N-G?!
Listen in for 18 minutes, and you’ll find out how to maneuver your way around customers that are clearly wrong, but you need them on your side.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #517 for Friday, January 19th, 2024
00:01:03 CES…is Back!
00:07:41 SPONSOR: Miro is your team’s visual platform to connect, collaborate, and create — together. Your first 3 Miro boards are free forever when you sign up at Miro.com/podcast.
00:09:39 SPON
How Not to Treat Critics - a Dark eBay Story
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss paying tuition with credit cards, utilizing credit card points for benefits, interstatement payments, online collaboration tools, and addressing eBay’s dark side. We emphasize leadership and setting the right tone in business. We conclude with shout-outs to sponsors and encourage listeners to live a charmed life.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #516 for Wednesday, January 17th, 2024
00:01:37 The Charmed Life with Credit Card Poi
Millionaire Habits
On this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the impact of news consumption habits and the importance of being intentional about the content we consume. Host Dave Hamilton shares his personal experience of breaking away from news programming and opting for podcasts instead. We also highlight our sponsors, Squared Away and Shopify, and their services that empower entrepreneurs and business success. The conversation touches on the habits of millionaires, the value of rest, and the importance of p
Mitigating Employee Apathy
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss standing out on Twitter, the challenges of managing priorities, employee apathy, and fostering enthusiasm. We emphasize the importance of open communication, personal connections, and providing the necessary tools. Feedback is welcome at feedback@businessbrain.show, and don’t forget to check out our sponsors at gosquaredaway.com and shopify.com/businessbrain.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #514 for Wednesday, January 10th, 2024
Just In Time Mania + Imposter Syndrome
How do you manage your time when dealing with chaos in your business and personal life? That’s the discussion as we begin episode 513 of Business Brain! Then, we jump into some business therapy as we try to figure out how to overcome the dreaded Imposter Syndrome.
Listen in and learn with us!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #513 for Casual Friday, January 5th, 2024
00:01:24 Dave’s Three Week Just-In-Time Mania
Freedom vs. Flexibility
ADHD Drifting is a Superpower (or, well
Happy New Year, are You a Criminal?
It’s the first Business Brain of 2024, and we ask the question: Are you a criminal but don’t know it? The federal government just rolled out the new Beneficial Ownership Information Act and wants to get to know your company better. Join us as we discuss the reporting requirements of BOI and the joys of becoming friends with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
But first, we want to share with you some tips about managing employees’ needs when it comes to borrowing money to get by in between
Bank Scams and a New Business for Shannon
How good are you at spotting scams? You might be surprised that even the most tech-savvy among us can fall victim to fraud. Listen in as Dave Hamilton shares his experience with a recent scam that could have cost him $25K.
Then, as we get ready to start 2024, Shannon is ready to start a new experiment with a Business Advisory company to productize his knowledge and to help other Small Business owners succeed. Stay tuned as he builds-in-public and reports back on the process of this new venture d
Should You Kill Your Business?
People are important. Dave and Shannon discuss the benefits of increasing your social and business circles on this episode of Business Brain, followed by a discussion about putting off tough decisions if your business is failing.
One of the least discussed benefits of building a business is hiring people you will enjoy working with daily. Listen in to hear our take on this critical benefit of entrepreneurship. Then we have some harsh reality for a friend who is putting off the inevitable failure
Change is Coming. Are You Ready?
There are two critical topics discussed on this episode of Business Brain:
Always ask for the NO.
What happens when change punches you in the face?
Listen in to this episode as we slice and dice these topics and more.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #509 for Casual Friday, December 15th, 2023
00:01:00 When selling, always ask for the “No”
00:05:59 SPONSOR: Miro is your team’s visual platform to connect, collaborate, and create — together. Your first 3 Miro boards are free
Finding Your Noble Cause
Let’s talk about what is standing in the way for you to succeed. That’s the intro topic for episode 508 of Business Brain. Then, we jump into our main topic of defining a Noble Cause to help better connect and motivate yourself, your employees, vendors, investors, bankers, and customers.
Joint us for 19 minutes that could change your life!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #508 for Wednesday, December 13th, 2023
00:01:02 Catalyzing Growth In Your Business
00:03:14 What’s In Y
What is your USP?
Join us for episode 507 of Business Brain! We start the show by introducing a concept called the people pyramid for entrepreneurs. It represents the different types of people one should surround oneself with. We have supporters at the base of the pyramid – close friends, family, and business partners who are always there for us. Moving up, we have advisors such as accountants and mentors. We also mention industry peers and competitors. Next, we have professionals like bankers, attorneys, and in
The Wisdom of Charlie Munger
Amidst our live streaming conversation, we touch upon the topic of incorporating video into our podcast. The potential of expanding our presence on platforms like YouTube holds great appeal, and we explore the opportunities it presents for reaching a wider audience. Furthermore, this episode is sponsored by Shopify and Fastmail, two remarkable platforms that provide immense value to online businesses. Shopify offers a powerful platform enabling entrepreneurs to sell their products online effortl
Outsmarting Chaos
In this episode of Business Brain, we delve into the strategies for managing chaos and staying productive. Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss the positive side of chaos and how to maneuver your way through to a positive outcome.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #505 for Casual Friday, December 1st, 2023
00:00:56 Processing Chaos with Calculus
00:03:36 Trusting Your Experience with Getting Through the Chaos
Let Yourself Off The Leash
Create your T
Selling (Yourself On) Your Business
In this episode of the Business Brain podcast, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean reflect on their experiences during the Thanksgiving holiday. Dave shared that he could disconnect from work and enjoy a break while Shannon visited a new property. They are preparing for guests and found physical activities helpful in disconnecting. The hosts encourage their listeners to share their own holiday experiences.
Moving on to business dealings, Dave discusses potential buyers for his other business and ment
Wrong Business Broker = 50% Loss
In episode 503 of Business Brain, we discuss the debate between goal-setting and establishing systems. We emphasize the power of systems and the importance of consistently adapting them over time. I share a personal experience with redefining portion sizes for health reasons and highlight the benefits of incorporating milestones within a system.
We also touch on the application of systems in various aspects of business, including employee development, and announce the launch of our Business Brai
Reverse Storytelling + Story Branding
Join us for episode 502 of Business Brain to hear about one of the most potent motivation systems we have ever found: Reverse Storytelling. After we dive into this for personal use, we then break down the systems used in Story Branding for your business. This could be the most crucial podcast you listen to this year!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #502 for Casual Friday, November 17th, 2023
00:00:40 Course Feedback Feedback
FAIL = First Attempt In Learning
00:06:47 SPO
Finding Your Ideal Customer Profile
Who is your ideal customer? Are you focusing your marketing dollars in the right direction? Join us for episode 501 of Business Brain as we answer listener questions about developing an Ideal Customer Profile.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #501 for Wednesday, November 15th, 2023
00:01:02 Winner: Tony Ieronimo
00:02:58 Robert-499-The best AIs for me are Bard for copy and Firefly for Images
00:07:15 SPONSOR: Fastmail, the email provider who puts your privacy first. Visit F
What Have We Learned in 500 Episodes?
It’s our 500th episode! Join us as we discuss the journey from our first episodes back in 2015 to today. We discuss the power of persistence and listener feedback. Reach out and share your thoughts on the evolution of our show – we would love to hear from you!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #500 for Casual Friday, November 10th, 2023
00:01:44 In 500 Episodes We Learned…Nothing Stays The Same
Good ol’ Authorize.net
And PayPal and Stripe
00:06:46 SPONSOR: Miro is your tea
You're More Productive With AI
Are you using AI to enhance your productivity at your business? If not, why not? Listen in today for episode 499 of Business Brain, where we jump into some of the latest AI tools that we think you should be using.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #499 for Wednesday, November 8th, 2023
00:04:16 Productivity Course Follow-up
Visit BusinessBrainCourses.com/free for your free course!
00:07:27 SPONSOR: Miro is your team’s visual platform to connect, collaborate, and create — t
Communication as a Competitive Advantage
We live in an age where answering the phone is a competitive advantage. Good communication is a crucial part of success and a huge opportunity to stand out from your competitors. Join Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they discuss the why and how of keeping the information flowing between your business and your customers.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #498 for Casual Friday, November 3rd, 2023
00:02:17 Manage your BADHD (Business ADHD) by Maintaining Short and Long-Term P
Asking For Help Costs Nothing
Join us this week for episode 497 of Business Brain, where we dive into the concept of the best methods to get help and how to turn asking for help into a superpower. Make your customers, suppliers, and even your competition feel important by asking them for help. Listen in and fine-tune your brain with Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #497 for Wednesday, November 1st, 2023
00:00:57 Will-493-Solving People Problems with Technology
00:05:31 Rob
The Business Brain Productivity Power Up!
Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have been tuning Business Brains for 496 episodes over eight years. This week, we launch our first course series to certify you as a productivity master. Listeners can get the first two lessons for free and then upgrade to the seven-day, nine-day, or go all in with the Master Class course to get one-on-one with your hosts to discuss your specific productivity goals. Let’s go!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #496 for Causal Friday, October 27th
Leading by Fear or Respect
Which is the most effective leadership strategy, leading by earning respect or by using fear with your team? Join us this week as we discuss how there might be a little more fear going on than you realize, even when you are trying to use the respect and trust leadership technique.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #495 for Causal Wednesday, October 25th, 2023
00:02:41 Quartet Agile Glass Dry-Erase Easel
00:06:06 PODCAST: This Week In Tech: Every week, This Week in Tech gives
Can You Teach Soft Skills?
Soft Skills for managers and leaders are essential to business and personal success. This week on Business Brain, we ask our audience if these skills are teachable or if you must be born with them. Traits like empathy, a sense of humor, being a good listener, and friendliness. Can these be taught? Listen in to hear our take!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #494 for Casual Friday, October 20th, 2023
00:01:02 Robert-How to manage increasing customer expectations?
Whistle, Wo
Pacing and Leading
What is Pacing and Leading, and how can you use it to become a more impactful leader and better people manager? Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss how to read the room and use this technique to build credibility and productivity.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #493 for Causal Wednesday, October 18th, 2023
00:01:11 The upside of lots of Screentime
00:11:03 SPONSOR: Fastmail, the email provider that puts your privacy first. Visit Fastmail.com/BusinessBrain f
Failure as Education + Knowledge is Reusable
In this episode of Business Brain, we dive into the concept of reusing knowledge and content. We start by stressing the importance of continuously improving our collective business brain and invite our listeners to share their thoughts and experiences with us.
We then discuss a note from a listener named Jeffrey, who shared an intriguing article about CEO Dave Clark. Clark was removed from his position at Flexport, but instead of viewing it as a failure, he updated his LinkedIn profile and moved
Cost Segregation Studies + Haste Makes Malpractice
In this episode of Business Brain, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss the concept of cost segregation studies and its potential benefits for property owners. They explain how cost segregation allows property owners to identify and depreciate assets that won’t last the full depreciation period, resulting in increased tax benefits.
They share a quote from an attorney about the importance of thoughtful decision-making in business, stressing the need for a balance between careful consideration a
Opening Minds of Close-Minded Customers
What’s the best way to introduce change to your business? Are big changes easily embraced or are there better methods to get everyone onboard? Listen in as we discuss resistance to change before jumping into a discussion about opening closed minds to new ideas – with your customers.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #490 for Casual Friday, October 6th, 2023
00:01:04 Why Change? Because Change Is Hard
Business Brain on Change
Changes Aren’t Permanent, But Change Is
00:05:3
Scale it and Sell it!
Let’s talk about how to scale and systemize your business on episode 489 of Business Brain! We will also jump back into the Silver Tsunami concept and how you can prep your business for sale – with a focus on SDE. What’s SDE? Listen in to learn!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #489 for Wednesday, October 4th, 2023
00:01:42 Transitions are harder than the result
Factor Meals ease the stress of the kitchen remodel
00:08:31 SPONSOR: Fastmail, the email provider who puts yo
The Problem Solving Framework
Problems got you down? Constantly stressed about putting out fires at your business? Employees stressed out in your Customer Service department? We have a solution for you. Listen to episode 488 of Business Brain, where we discuss the Problem-Solving Framework that will change your perspective and change your life.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #488 for Casual Friday, September 29th, 2023
00:01:12 Eric-485-Finding a Buyer can Be Tough
00:03:17 Patrick-485-The Silver Tsun
How to Share Bad News
It’s time to talk about bad news! What is the best way to handle sharing bad news with your employees and customers, and how about with your investors or bankers? Join us today as we dive into the best ways to minimize the impact of bad news.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #487 for Wednesday, September 27th, 2023
00:00:55 Backing off of “Permanent” Change … The Slack Example
00:07:17 PODCAST: TWIT’s Apple-focused shows: MacBreak Weekly, iOS Today, and Hands-On Mac, all at
Build a Business and Build a Community
It’s another Casual Friday episode of Business Brain! Join us as we discuss how talking about your mistakes can build credibility faster than your successes. Then, we discuss one of the significant and often unspoken benefits of starting a business: building a community of people you will often spend more time with than your family. Listen in to tune your Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #486 for Casual Friday, September 22nd, 2023
00:00:56 Failures and Mist
To Build or Buy a Business
What’s better, buying a business or starting your own? Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean in discussing the pros and cons of building or buying on episode 485 of Business Brain. Listen in to also hear about Shannon’s Starlink experience at his new short-term rental property!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #485 for Wednesday, September 20th, 2023
00:01:32 Starlink Experiences
00:10:54 SPONSOR: Fast Growing Trees. Save 15% off your entire order at FastGrowingTrees.com/Busi
Employees, Contracts and Emergencies
It’s a grab bag of topics for this Casual Friday episode of Business Brain!
Shannon shares his experience with a contractor who doesn’t make appointments: “Everything is an emergency in my business.” Then, we discuss a listener email about hiring employees as contractors to start, and we wrap up the show with some terrific contract language that Dave was presented with recently. Join us, and together we can fine-tune our Business Brains!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #48
Tenacity and Commoditization
Join us for episode 483 of Business Brain to discuss the power of perseverence and tenacity when building your business. We then jump into a discussion about what to do when your business becomes commoditized. Don’t think it can happen to your business? Think again. Listen in and tune your Business Brain with your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #483 for Wednesday, September 13th, 2023
00:00:50 Tenacity…Bull-headed Persistence
00:10:31
Working With Your Spouse
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the concept of “no phone Friday” for improved focus and productivity. We address imposter syndrome and the importance of self-awareness. We talk about transparent salary expectations in hiring and working with spouses. Our sponsor, FastGrowingTrees.com, offers a 15% discount to listeners. Lastly, we highlight the value of bringing unique skills to the business when working with a spouse.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #482 for
Hiring Your First Employee
When is the right time to hire your first employee? How do you decide what role they need to play? Do you need a salesperson, an admin, or an assistant? Listen in to episode 481 of Business Brain to hear your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, discuss this topic and more!
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the importance of work-life balance for entrepreneurs. We share our recent staycation experience and the concept of “structured enjoyment.” We also talk about hiring the first e
The Business of Snoop + Imposter Syndrome
On this episode of Business Brain, we discuss how artists are monetizing their stories through storytelling in the music industry. We highlight our sponsors, Miro and Zinch, for their collaboration and lending services. We share personal experiences with imposter syndrome and the importance of seeking external input and collaboration. Listeners are encouraged to provide feedback and share their own experiences with imposter syndrome for a chance to win a MacBook.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The E
Tips from Atomic Habits Author James Clear
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the emotional impact of leaving a leadership role and offer valuable advice on finding fulfillment afterward. We emphasize the importance of building your own community, taking small steps toward goals, and creating a positive environment. We also share insightful ideas from James Clear inviting listeners to watch the linked video for more insights.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #479 for Wednesday, August 30th, 2023
00:01:07
Slippery Math and The Focus Trap
What is Slippery Math, and how can it help you live a pre-tax lifestyle? And should you be focused on focusing? Listen in and learn why Shannon doesn’t want you to fall into the Focus Trap.
Join us for episode 478 of Business Brain, where we tune our brains together each week!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #478 for Friday, August 25th, 2023
00:01:03 Slippery Math
Pre-Tax Lifestyle
Charmed Life
00:07:50 SPONSOR: Zinch. A direct lender that makes financing fast, simple,
The Master Mind Hack and Your X/Twitter Profile
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss strategies for avoiding procrastination and maximizing productivity. We share our personal experiences and emphasize the importance of self-awareness. We also explore the benefits of using X-Twitter for personal and business branding, including the use of lists and growing followers.
Listen in for an episode of Business Brain that could change your life!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #477 for Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023 00:0
Barefoot Investor and Attracting Luck
It’s Casual Friday on Business Brain! Listen in as we discuss the Barefoot Investor series of books for adults and kids to learn about finance and money. Then it’s on to a discussion about attracting luck in your business and personal life. It’s a great way to spend a few minutes on Friday – join us!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #476 for Friday, August 18th, 2023
00:01:08 Andrew-474-Book Recommendation: Barefoot Kids by Scott Pape
The Barefoot Investor
Shrinking: “Thin
Running Your Business as a Shareholder
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss various topics, including surge protection, e-commerce platforms, understanding website visitors, transitioning from employee to shareholder, and personal growth in business. We share personal experiences, insights, and recommendations to help tune our Business Brains together.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #475 for Wednesday, August 16th, 2023 00:00:58 Happy Birthday Shannon!
00:02:06 When it rains…Dave’s hardware dies!
00:09
Procrastination and A Business Brain for Kids
Are you a Pro at Procrastination? Join us for episode 474 of Business Brain for tips on fighting the battle to get stuff done.
We then jump into a discussion about using your Business Brain to turn your kids into extraordinary adults. Join us!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #474 for Friday, August 11th, 2023
00:01:05 How Do You Manage Procrastination?
00:08:44 SPONSOR: Zinch. A direct lender that makes financing fast, simple, and built around your needs. Zinch is waiving
The Avoid at All Costs List
In this episode of Business Brain, we delve into various topics related to technology, marketing, and personal development. We start by discussing the availability of Apple Business Essentials through CDW, a tech company specializing in smart home setups. We also explore the use of URL shorteners and tracking URLs for marketing purposes. We acknowledge the potential security risks associated with URL shorteners in emails but suggest embedding the link within the text as a solution.
Next, we dis
Secret Management and Adding Value
Are you using your Business Brain to secretly manage people and projects outside of work? If not, why not? Listen in today as we share a listener tip on using your management skills to increase the success of projects and people in your everyday life. This same listener also reminds us of the power of adding value while not expecting anything in return. Join us for this casual Friday discussion that could be the most important thing you’ve heard all week. Let’s go!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The
A Different Conversation with David Morris
In episode 466 of Business Brain, we discussed David Morris’ ideas about why being different is better than being better when making sales. We connected with David, and he agreed to come on today’s episode to discuss the how and why of learning and implementing this contrarian sales framework. Listen and tune your Business Brain with us today!
00:00:01 – Introducing Business Brain, episode 471 for August 2nd, 2023.
00:00:17 – Introduction and Sponsorship Announcement
00:02:25 – David Morris sha
Our Favorite Business Tools
It’s Casual Friday on Business Brain! Join your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, discussing their favorite business software tools. Oh, and Dave has another contractor story that you won’t want to miss!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #470 for Friday, July 28th, 2023
00:01:24 Delegate the “Oh Crap” role
00:08:23 SPONSOR: Notion Projects combines project management with your docs, knowledge base, and AI. You can try it for free today at Notion.com/businessbrain.
00:09
Employee Onboarding Master Class
On today’s episode of Business Brain, we explore the topic of welcoming and onboarding new employees. We came across a tweet from Harris Fanneroff that provides 16 quick wins for creating a positive onboarding experience. These tips range from welcoming new hires on a Thursday or Friday to make their transition easier, throwing a welcome party, and ensuring someone else greets them to make them feel valued. Although we haven’t implemented these practices in the past, we acknowledge the importanc
Take Out The Trash!
In this episode of Business Brain, we delve into the importance of being in service to your employees as a business owner. We believe that it’s not just about money, but about recognizing and appreciating the perks and benefits that employees value. We encourage our listeners to create a list of these perks and actively remind themselves and others about them, as gratitude and acknowledgment can have a significant impact on mindset. And yes, we suggest you take out the trash. Listen in for this
The Beginners Mind + Multi-Level Employees
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss handling inappropriate social media posts by employees, the importance of mindful online content sharing, and the value of embracing a beginner’s mind. Cultivating a beginner’s mind can enhance our interactions and collaborations. Share your experiences and tools for maintaining a beginner’s mind at feedback@businessbrain.show.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #467 for Wednesday, July 19th, 2023
00:01:45 Multi-Level Employees
Ap
Time to learn Your ABDs
How well do you know your ABDs? On this episode of Business Brain, your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, dive into a discussion about the power of Always Be Different. First, it’s a case study of how AriZona Iced Tea keeps its 99-cent price point during inflation and how it differentiated itself to get into the beverage industry. Then it’s on to a breakdown of why David Morris believes that Being Different is Better than Being Better in the sales game. Join us while we fine-tune our Busine
When to Change Your Business Model
What happened to downtime? When should you leave your phone behind, and what is all the hoopla around No Phone Friday? Listen to this episode to hear our thoughts on unplugging and how it can change your life. Then, we jump into a listener question about when to consider changing your business model. Join us as we fine-tune our Business Brains!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #465 for Wednesday, July 12th, 2023
00:00:30 Leave Room for Urinal Inspiration
No Phone Friday
0
Labor Perception Bias and an Eeyore Outlook
Join us this week for episode 464 of Business Brain! We discuss the importance of training yourself, your customers, and your employees to battle Labor Perception Bias when getting paid for your work. Then we jump into why a Positive Outlook is a Force Multiplier for Success. Listen to your Business Brain with hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #464 for Friday, July 7th, 2023
00:01:11 Managing Your Own Labor Perception Bias
00:07:52 SPONS
Small Business CRM + Parkinson's Law
In this episode of Business Brain, we discuss the importance of dedicated “play time” for exploration and research. We address a listener’s question about lightweight CRM tools and recommend options like FileMaker, monday.com, and Salesforce. We introduce Notion as a sponsor and highlight their new feature, Notion Projects. We express concerns about the rate limit on Twitter and discuss the lack of effective communication from the platform. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of proactive
AI Lawyers + What Didn't You Tell Us?
Should you be using ChatGPT to help with business legal issues? Join us for episode 462 of Business Brain to discuss AI legal advice’s pros and cons and learn about a law firm offering to review AI suggestions. Then it’s on to a very important question after you close a deal: What didn’t you tell us?
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #462 for Friday, June 30th, 2023
00:01:35 Legal Firm Launches Service for Small Business Owners Tempted by AI
Law 4 Small Business
00:07:03 S
Getting Paid + Our Customer Service Maxim
Everyone has a story about a contractor not billing them for work completed. Why does this happen, and what steps can you take to avoid this issue? Listen in to Business Brain for a discussion on billing and getting paid, followed by a revisit to our famous Customer Service Maxim and why so many companies fail at it.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #461 for Wednesday, June 28th, 2023
00:01:19 Contractors Remember to Bill Clients (Dave’s electrician still hasn’t!)
Imposter
Time Flexing and Balanced Comparison
Being in control of your time is the ultimate flex! Join us for episode 460 of Business Brain as we tune our minds into the concept of flexible time being a huge superpower for us all to strive for. Then we jump into the concept of Balanced Comparison, where looking backward is just as important as looking forward. Listen in and tune your Business Brain with your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #460 for Friday, June 23rd, 2023
00:01:11
How to Get Rich Without Getting Lucky
Join us today for an important episode of Business Brain, where we dive into a series of Tweets by Naval Ravikant. Learn how to exponentially impact your ability to find success and build wealth with these tips. It’s a great episode to learn how to Tune our Business Brains!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #459 for Wednesday, June 21st, 2023
00:01:23 Naval-How to Get Rich without getting lucky
Seek wealth!
Time Billionaire
Build “Specific Knowledge”
00:07:35 SPONSOR: Noti
Living a Pre-Tax Life
Join us for episode 458 of Business Brain as we discuss one of the greatest unrealized methods to improve your life and build wealth. Learn why a simple side hustle or a multi-million dollar business can take advantage of tax benefits to help you enrich your world. Don’t miss these tips; share your own by contacting us!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #458 for Friday, June 16th, 2023
00:01:10 Everything I Do Is Tax-Deductible!
Tax Credit Guy – Owning a Small Business Is T
Steve Jobs, Rick Rubin, Good Taste and Imposter Syndrome
Do You Trust Your “Taste”? How do you learn what good taste is, and can you refine it over time? Join us for episode 457 of Business Brain, where we learn from Steve Jobs and Rick Rubin about what taste really is, how to get it, and how to improve it over time. Then we take a quick dive into the concept of Imposter Syndrome and why Shannon wants your feedback to deal with it. Listen in and tune your Business Brain with us!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #457 for Wednesday
Apple Vision Pro and a Down Year
Will Apple’s new Vision Pro “spatial computer” impact your business? What opportunities are coming our way as AI and new devices create new ways for you to interact with your customers? Shannon and Dave take a deep dive into the possibilities while at the same time, they discuss 2023 being a down year for business revenue. Listen in for this and more!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #456 for Friday, June 9th, 2023
00:01:05 Apple Vision Pro
00:09:08 SPONSOR: Notion Projects
Six Things Not to Say at Work
What terms should never be said at work? Join us as we discuss the Six Things Not to Say at Work on this episode of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #455 for Wednesday, June 7th, 2023
00:01:55 David-Six Things Not to Say at Work
It’s Not Fair
That’s Not My Problem
No Problem
Bye now vs. Buy Now
Of course, I know you would/will do the same for me.
I’ll Try
But We’ve Always Done It This Way
That’s Impossible
00:11:35 SPONSOR: Notion Projects combines pro
Driving Results: Cultivating a Sense of Urgency in Your Business
The ability to act swiftly, make decisions promptly, and prioritize tasks effectively can be the defining factor between success and mediocrity. In this episode of Business Brain, we will explore the importance of cultivating a sense of urgency in your business and provide strategies for instilling this mindset within your employees.
Join your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, for episode 454 of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #454 for Friday, June 2nd
Effort Equals Success: Business Insights for Entrepreneurs
Effort is the critical backbone of business success, often overlooked amidst discussions on strategy, innovation, and capital. It’s the engine that drives entrepreneurs toward their goals, turning dreams into tangible realities.
Join us for episode 453 of Business Brain to discuss effort, how to set examples, and reward success at your business.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #453 for Wednesday, May 31st, 2023
00:01:45 We’re Hustlers! We Put In The Effort!
00:06:05 SPONSO
Celebrate Business Milestones
Celebrating milestones, acknowledging employees’ contributions, and rewarding employees that share your company values. These are all tactics that not only boost morale but also promote a healthy work culture. Join us for episode 452 of Business Brain as we dive into how to celebrate at your business!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #452 for Friday, May 26th, 2023
00:01:13 The Plateau is the least favorite
00:02:53 Remember to Celebrate Business Milestones
feedback@busines
Listener Red Flag Stories – Business Brain 451
In this follow-up episode to our Red Flag discussion, we hear from you about what Red Flags you have encountered when making decisions. Listen in as Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss these topics and more on episode 451 of Business Brain.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #451 for Wednesday, May 24th, 2023
00:01:49 Jeff-Red Flags: Avoiding Attorneys and Clients with Legal “Flexibility”
00:07:17 SPONSOR: Found. Business banking that tracks your expenses, helps you find w
Let's Steal Costco's Strategies
Can you use Costco’s persuasion strategies in your business? You can and on this episode of Business Brain, we dive into Costco’s 7 Principles of Persuasion as presented by Joe Portsmouth. Here’s a rundown of the strategies your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discussed:
Reciprocity: Costco utilizes this principle by offering free samples to customers. Providing something for free creates a sense of obligation and reciprocity in customers to make a purchase.
Commitment and Consistency: T
Customer Red Flags - Identifying and Disconnecting
In episode 449 of Business Brain, we delve deep into the art of recognizing red flags in business relationships. Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean share invaluable insights on how to navigate potential pitfalls and build successful client relationships. From understanding the importance of clear communication to recognizing the signs of a problematic partnership, this episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone interested in fostering healthy business relationships. Tun
Does Scarcity Sell? And When to Keep Your Mouth Shut
How do you react when a salesperson uses the “this deal expires when I leave” method to try and force you to buy from them? Today on Business Brain, we discuss the problem of scarcity and why it’s better to sell abundance. Shannon and Dave also jump into a conversation about why it’s important to keep your mouth shut and read the room when trying to make a sale. Listen to learn!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #448 for Friday, May 12th, 2023
00:01:18 Beware Your Use of Sca
Magic Phrases and Sentence Stems
Magic Phrases and Sentence Stems can vastly improve communication in your business. Use them in your sales department to close more deals, in your customer service department to solve problems more effectively, and as part of a system of best practices throughout your company. On this episode of Business Brain, Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton share Jesse Pujji’s Sentent Stem concept combined with Magic Phrases – powerful words to learn more about.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Po
Finding a Mentor and
Listener AI Advice
On this episode of Business Brain, we discuss how to find and connect with a mentor, along with listener comments about the real-world use of AI programs to automate and enhance your business.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #446 for Friday, May 5th, 2023
00:02:28 Robert-How I Use AI in My Business
ChatGPT
Adobe Firefly
Canva AI Image Generation
Summarize Tech
00:09:13 SPONSOR: Notion. With whatever you’re working on, Notion AI lets you skip to the good part. Save time
The Whistle, The Workhorse and The Whale
Business Brain is a podcast by, for, and about entrepreneurs. In this episode, hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss the importance of utilizing one’s business brain to improve their lives and lead a charmed life. They also recognize Small Business Week and mention how Amanda Palmer’s use of Patreon to run her life is inspiring.
Then it’s on to a discussion about pricing strategies using a three-part strategy known as the whistle, the workhorse, and the whale, as described by Will Green.
Negotiating as a Nice Guy. Plus an AI Update You Don't Want to Miss
Does being a “nice guy” hurt you when negotiating deals? Dave shares his follow-up with the buyer of the MacObserver and counts is “pre-paid” Tuition. We then dive into an update on the AI apps that we are using to blow up conventional methods of running our businesses. Join us for another casual Friday episode of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #444 for Friday, April 28th, 2023
00:01:31 Pre-Paid Tuition: “You’re A Nice Guy.”
00:08:16 SPONSOR: Thinkific Plus
What's More Important, Justice or Productivity?
What is more important for your success? Seeking justice in a situation that may take months of time and significant financial resources, or focusing on solving a problem quickly so you can move on to the next opportunity? Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean today as they discuss the steep price of Justice.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #443 for Wednesday, April 26th, 2023
00:01:49 The Rental from Hell
00:07:21 SPONSOR: Thinkific Plus is a powerful training platform that
Perspective, Fraud and When to Stop - Listener Questions and Comments
On this April 21st, 2023 episode of Business Brain, the show for entrepreneurs, Robert shares his stress-relieving practice of taking a lunchtime walk or morning bike ride to help him deal with intense work demands. Dave and Shannon discuss the importance of time shifting and how flexible schedules can be beneficial. They also talk about the feedback they receive from viewers, which is why they do the show, and how each message sent in is entered into a drawing for a MacBook Air.
00:00:00 Busi
How to Operationalize Your Business with David Moss
David Moss from Thasis LLC is joining us on Business Brain to discuss operationalizing your business. Having worked in technology sales, executive management, and business development, David will explain how to go about creating and launching a business, including the options to consider for funding and how to validate a concept.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #441 for Wednesday, April 19th, 2023
01:12 GUEST: David Moss from Thasis LLC helps Operationalizing Your Business
Changing Your Perspective and Environment
This episode of Business Brain dives into the idea of changing one’s perspective and environment. Dave Hamilton from New Hampshire and Shannon Jean from California discuss how putting themselves in unfamiliar and outdoor settings has helped them to stay productive and focused. They also touch on Headspace and how listeners can try it for free for 30 days.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #440 for Friday, April 14th, 2023
00:01:02 The Power of Being Outside
Get a Hot Tub
A
Exploring the Most Important Insurance for Entrepreneurs
Business Brain listener Jeff asks what insurance he might need if he offers casual advice about his expertise. Join your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, as they explore what types of insurance you may need for your Business and why having an insurance resource on your board of advisors is critical.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #439 for Wednesday, April 12th, 2023
00:01:25 Jeff-Do I need insurance for my mistakes?
00:04:05 SPONSOR: Headspace helps improve mental
Making AI Your Competitive Advantage
The Business Brain podcast, episode 438 for Casual Friday April 7th, 2023, discusses the benefits of using AI in both personal and business settings. The hosts discuss the use of chat GPT and encourage listeners to explore AI technology to enhance efficiency. Sponsored by Factor and Thinkific Plus, the hosts emphasize the importance of learning how to use AI in today’s world.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #438 for Friday, April 7th, 2023
00:01:23 You Must Develop your “
Monetizing Your Business Brain
In this episode of Business Brain, hosts Dave and Shannon discuss the common occurrence of people asking for advice on their business ideas. They discuss how success and failure are both parts of running one’s own business and how to handle these requests for advice. Along with their discussion, they also share sponsored content from Thinkific Plus and Factor Meals.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #437 for Wednesday, April 5th, 2023
00:01:13 Will you make my business succ
Let's Destroy Command and Control Leadership
Can we talk about Command and Control leadership styles? Yes, yes we can. Today we try to destroy the C&C style and convince you that you can make your company more valuable in countless ways by not being the gateway to getting things done with a strict Command and Control management style.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #436 for Friday, March 31st, 2023
00:01:19 Command and Control Leadership
Command and Control Leadership is Dead
00:04:11 SPONSOR: Notion. With whatev
The Importance of Business Ethics
What happens when a business decides to hide the truth from its bank? Is it just unethical or could it also be illegal? Join us today for Business Brain episode 435 to hear this crazy story, and then you decide by contacting us.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #435 for Wednesday, March 29th, 2023
00:01:47 Fudging The Numbers…With Your Bank!
00:04:17 SPONSOR: Notion. With whatever you’re working on, Notion AI lets you skip to the good part. Save time and write faster by lett
Working While Traveling and Receivables Best Practices
Join us this week as we discuss being productive while traveling as Dave wraps up a 12-day work trip. Then it’s on to a listener question about collecting those pesky late invoices.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #434 for Friday, March 24th, 2023
00:01:15 Working on a travel schedule creates more efficient work habits
Set a Timer!
Create times to shift gears.
Quartet
00:08:12 SPONSOR: Thinkific Plus is a powerful training platform that lets you create materials to educ
Hiring and Firing Protected Classes
Join us as we discuss hiring and firing practices on this episode of Business Brain! Keep your business compliant with laws and follow best practices to ensure you minimize the chances of problems after hiring or firing.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #433 for Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023
00:01:41 Mr. X-Addressing Racism Accusations When Hiring and Firing
00:10:54 SPONSOR: Thinkific Plus is a powerful training platform that lets you create materials to educate your custome
The Cash Flow Episode
Let’s talk about cash flow! What is it, why it’s so important, how to plan for it, and more. Dave and Shannon take a deep dive into managing your cash for success and what to do when things don’t go exactly as planned (because they won’t).
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #432 for Friday, March 17th, 2023
00:01:56 Robert-What is Cash Flow?
00:06:17 SPONSOR: Headspace helps improve mental health – through guided meditations, mindfulness practices, breathing and calming exerci
The Reality of the Metaverse and the Impact of Bank Failures
Is the Metaverse all hype and no hope? Join us for episode 431 of Business Brain as we discuss two visions of Metaverse opportunities. Then it’s on to a timely talk about bank failures and how they may impact your business, even if your bank is safe.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #431 for Wednesday, March 15th, 2023
00:01:00 Podcast Movement
00:02:19 Don’t Ignore the Blockchain
00:13:22 SPONSOR: Headspace helps improve mental health – through guided meditations, mindfulne
MS Teams, Actions for Success and Sales Quotas
Today we talk more about MS Teams, and then it’s on to a sandwich story tied to taking action to build success in your life. Shannon shares a story about wineries and sales quotas that will blow your mind and more. Join us!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #430 for Friday, March 10th, 2023
00:01:33 Tony-427-Feedback on using MS Teams effectively
00:05:04 Duffy’s Sandwich Story
00:11:25 SPONSOR: Notion. With whatever you’re working on, Notion AI lets you skip to the good part
The Battle Against Cynicism
Can being a business owner turn you into a cynic? Solving problems all day and dealing with some customers that drive you nuts? Join Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton today as they discuss ways to avoid the Cynic Cycle.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #429 for Wednesday, March 8th, 2023
00:02:17 Being in Business Makes You a Cynic
00:09:00 SPONSOR: Notion. With whatever you’re working on, Notion AI lets you skip to the good part. Save time and write faster by letting Notion AI
What do Small Business Owners Think of ESG?
You may have heard the acronym ESG. Environmental, Social Governance seems to impact large corporations mostly, but we want to know if small to medium-sized businesses are impacted at all by ESG concepts. Join us today for a discussion about ESG and a rant about being forced to make decisions. It will be fun and informative – we promise.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #428 for Friday, March 3rd, 2023
00:01:24 ESG and Your Business
00:10:52 PODCAST: Business Credit and Fina
Messaging Apps for Your Business
What messaging App are you using to connect with your employees and business partners? How do you get non-technical people to embrace new solutions for messaging? Join us today on Business Brain for a deep dive into choosing and using messaging Apps.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #427 for Wednesday, March 1st, 2023
00:02:22 How do you message?
Slack
WhatsApp
Microsoft Teams
00:11:38 PODCAST: Business Credit and Financing Show. If you’re looking to get money for your bu
Interview with Mani Bhushan Founder of Taco Ocho
Join us today as we meet with Mani Bhushan, Founder of Taco Ocho, a chain of Latin food restaurants in Texas. Mani shares some great tips and sobering advice about the food business and what motivates him daily after 40 years in the restaurant business.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #426 for Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023
Featured Guest: Mani Bhushan from Taco Ocho
The Efficiency of Sauces
From Big Companies to Your Own Company
Lesson: You need great people, and you nee
The Risk Fallacy: Paycheck vs. Business Owner
What is riskier, working for a corporation where your future may be decided by someone else or starting a business where you make the decisions? Join us for another episode of Business Brain to here about when Dave was “Curtailed” and why Shannon thinks employment is a trap.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #425 for Friday, February 17th, 2023
00:01:05 The Day I Learned The Meaning Of The Word, “Curtailed”
00:06:53 SPONSOR: HelloFresh. Visit HelloFresh.com/BusinessBrain65 an
Trust, Community and the Conversational Enterprise
How do you keep your team connected across various locations and time zones? Is it important to build trust and community with hybrid teams that spend part of their time in the office and part working remotely? Join us this week as we use our Business Brains to dig into the concept of the Conversational Enterprise.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #424 for Wednesday, February 15th, 2023
00:01:45 The Conversational Enterprise
Grammarly
Hire nerds!
00:09:18 SPONSOR: HelloFr
GSA Business Opportunities and Pitfalls
Have you ever been contacted by a GSA consultant offering easy profits and increased revenue for your business? Are there GSA opportunities you need to take advantage of? Join us on Business Brain for a discussion about the pros and cons of GSA business. Then it’s on to a discussion about adding value BEFORE you ask for money.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #423 for Friday, February 10th, 2023
00:01:52 Todd-415-Follow-up on GSA Schedule Contracts
00:08:26 PODCAST: Business
Pricing Strategies and LLC Tax Advantages
What is the best pricing strategy for your products and services? Do LLCs offer any tax advantages? And just how valuable is ChatGPT for your Small Business?
Join Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton this week for another bite-sized episode of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #422 for Wednesday, February 8th, 2023
00:01:23 David-Product Pricing Strategy (and a VA bonus)
Caveat: Loss Leaders.
ChatGPT
00:09:51 PODCAST: Business Credit and Financing Show. If you’re
All About Apple Business Connect
Apple rolls out its Business Connect service to get your Small Business listed across multiple Mac and iOS apps. Learn how you can increase the visibility if your business on Maps, Messages, Siri, and more. You can also tap into APIs for services that list your business on other platforms like Google and Bing while gaining access to services like Tap to Pay on iPhone and more.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #421 for Friday, February 3rd, 2023
00:01:59 Travel Freedom Experi
LLC or Sole Proprietor - What's Right For Your Business?
What’s the best structure for your business between a Limited Liability Company (LLC) and a Sole Proprietorship? Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they talk about their experiences with both structures. What are the pros and cons to forming an LLC? What are the risks and obligations for a Sole Proprietorship? Let’s break down the benefits of both business types.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #420 for Wednesday, February 1st, 2023
00:00:42 Successful Launch
Overcoming Lies That Can Kill Success
What is standing in the way of your success? What lies do you need to overcome when they try to sneak into your Business Brain? Join us as we destroy these myths and share with you methods to avoid the “Once’s”.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #419 for Friday, January 27th, 2023
00:02:21 Seven Brutal Lies that Kill Your Success
Everyone Will Laugh at Me
Nobody Cares (Till Yer Dead) by Bitter Pill
It Won’t Be Good Enough
It’s Too Late/I’m Too Old
Yet.
I’m Too Good For
Can ChatGPT Help You Price Your Product or Service?
What is the best way to determine pricing for your products or services? Can an AI like ChatGPT help you make the best choice? We think ChatGPT can help tremendously, but probably in a different way than you are thinking about. Join us today for another bite-sized Business Brain episode to talk about pricing strategies.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #418 for Wednesday, January 25th, 2023
00:01:25 The Slight Edge for Teens
00:02:12 ChatGPT’s Pricing Example questions
What
Your Name Dot Com and Traveling Productively
How much would you pay for the website address of your name? What’s it worth to you? It was worth $1000 to Dave Hamilton. How much did Shannon Jean have to pay for his domain name? Listen in to find out! We also discuss travel productivity and more on this episode of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #417 for Friday, January 20th, 2023
00:01:12 Owning Your Own Name’s Domain
Cloudflare DNS Registrar
00:05:01 Traveling Productively
ViewSonic VP16-OLED
00:1
Email Productivity Tips and Tricks
Join us for another bite-sized episode of Business Brain as we ask: “Can you manage ALL email with just one mail application?” Listen in as Dave Hamilton explains how he manages one single mailbox for multiple businesses. Shannon takes the challenge and vows to give it a shot before he is buried in email overload.
What email system are you using, and how productive are you?
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #416 for Wednesday, January 18th, 2023
00:01:54 One Inbox to Rule The
The Why and How of Social Capital
What is Social Capital? Why is it so important, and how do you get it? Listen to this Friday bonus episode of Business Brain to learn how to use and accumulate this important tool.
Have a question or comment? Send us a message, and if we feature it on an upcoming Business Brain episode, you will be entered to win a MacBook Air in 2023!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #415 for Friday, January 13th, 2023
00:01:23 Have You Done GSA Contracts?
00:04:13 Earning and Spending Soci
Conferences and Trade Shows
Dave is back from CES, and Shannon reminds us why meeting people in person is critical to building relationships for you and your team. Join us as we discuss techniques for success and how to pre-plan your event to make it productive.
Have a question or comment? Send us a message, and if we feature it on an upcoming Business Brain episode, you will be entered to win a MacBook Air in 2023!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #414 for Wednesday, January 11th, 2023
00:01:55 The Va
The Kindergarten Episode + Win a MacBook Air
Happy New Year! We’re going way back to start 2023 with some techniques to create a Charmed Life that you should have learned in Kindergarten. Then it’s on to a discussion of how we love our listeners so much that we want to give one of them a new MacBook Air. Listen in and learn!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #413 for Wednesday, January 4th, 2023
00:02:23 We lied!
00:04:45 The Kindergarten Lessons
Responsiveness
Please and Thank You
00:14:00 Win a MacBook Air from Bus
Super Bonus EOY Episode! Solo-401k, Opportunities and Systems over Goals
OK, we lied. We told you there would not be an episode of Business Brain this week, but here we are with a bonus end-of-year episode! Listen in as we discuss the power of the Solo-401k, end-of-year buying opportunities, and why goals are for losers. Don’t miss this one!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #412 for Wednesday, December 28th, 2022
00:01:08 Solo 401k
00:08:20 Buying Opportunities
00:10:14 No goals for 2023, Systems instead.
Systemology on Business Brain
00:14:50
Two Buck Chuck and ChatGPT
How did Fred Franzia create a $1.99 bottle of wine that would sell over a billion bottles? How does Two Buck Chuck make a profit, and what tactics can you learn to apply to your own business?
How will AI impact your business? Now is the time to start learning about applications like ChatGPT that will revolutionize many aspects of our lives.
Join us for episode 411 of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #411 for Wednesday, December 21st, 2022
00:01:34 Dissecting
Areas of Expertise + Is This Info Helpful?
What do we know? Join us as we discuss how some small businesses shift into high gear and take on tens or hundreds of millions in venture capital investments to morph into entirely different-sized businesses. Is this your area of expertise? If so, contact us to share your knowledge with Business Brain listeners.
After this discussion, we dive into the story of Brumate, a tweet thread that may be inspiring but leaves much to the imagination, and we think it may not be helpful for aspiring entrep
Hobby Business Pitfalls and Selling Your Company
This week Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean start the show by answering a listener question about the pros and cons of turning your hobby into a business. Then it’s a discussion about how to find a buyer for your company, how to create systems that are marketable to a buyer, and more specific details about selling your business.
Join us for these topics and more on episode 409 of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #409 for Wednesday, December 7th, 2022
00:01:36 Mi
Building a Peer Group, Safety Nets and Hiring Your First Employee
This week we discuss the power of an entrepreneurial peer group, building a safety net, and hiring your first employee. Listen in to learn more!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #408 for Wednesday, November 30th, 2022
00:02:38 Building Your Business Brain Peer Group
Alliance of CEOs on Business Brain
00:06:45 Covid Employee Retention Funds
00:09:00 Sparingly Sharing The Highlight Reel
00:12:49 SPONSOR: Shopify – For anyone to sell anywhere, Shopify is giving you a fourtee
Listener Q&A - Taking Action to Help a Slowing Business
In our last episode, we shared with you how important it is for Business Brain to engage with our listeners. Some of you answered the call and sent in questions, suggestions, and constructive criticism. Thank you!
We dive into your questions and comments with a focus on what actions your hosts are taking to help offset a slowing economy to keep our businesses growing. Listen in and send your questions and comments so we can discuss them on the show!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’
An Accidental System and Increasing Engagement
Join us this week for a unique episode of Business Brain. First, Dave shares his accidental system that has changed his life. Then we jump into a candid discussion about engagement, namely the lack of engagement by our audience. What changes should we make for Business Brain? What’s working, what’s not and why not?
Listen and help us solve the Business Brain puzzle!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #406 for Wednesday, November 16th, 2022
00:02:51 Finding Your System (for Wei
Algorithms, Family Businesses and Slacking Partners
It’s time for listener questions! Join us for another episode of Business Brain to hear our take on social media algorithms before we jump in to help Kate with her horse-based family business. Then we tackle a tricky question about a business partner for over a decade that is stuck doing $20/hour work while he ignores the $200/hour projects.
Listen in as we help others use their Business Brains to solve these problems and more!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #405 for Wedne
Working and Succeeding with People You Dislike
Let’s face it, not everyone will like you, and you won’t like everyone that you must work with. How do you adjust your Business Brain to change the frame of these relationships to find success?
Join your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, as they explore what it takes to overlook personal feelings to achieve great things.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #404 for Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022
00:01:03 Using Your Business Brain to Take The Road Less Traveled
00:08:11 SPON
Learning Quickly, Gamification, Iteration, and Mastery
What is the single most powerful skill you can develop? According to Dickie Bush, it’s learning quickly. Join us on this episode of Business Brain as we dive into Mr. Bush’s framework for learning quickly by seeing everything as a game, starting to play immediately, and then iterating as you make mistakes.
Will this method lead to mastery and success? Join your hosts, Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton, to hear their take on the concept.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #403 f
Can These Habits Transform Your Life?
What habits could you adopt that would transform both your personal and business life? Join Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as we discuss habit recommendations from SystemSunday on Twitter.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #402 for Wednesday, October 19th, 2022
00:01:06 A Sale Is a Successful Transfer of Enthusiasm to The Customer
00:09:24 SPONSOR: Shopify – For anyone to sell anywhere, Shopify is giving you a fourteen-day trial and full access to Shopify’s entire suite of fe
What is the Best Age to Start a Business?
Too Old to Start a Business? Think Again
If you think youth is a prerequisite to starting a company, think again. According to a recent study by the Census Bureau and MIT, a 50-year-old founder is 2.2 times more likely to start a successful business than a 30-year-old. The study included 2.7 million company founders. The average startup founder was 45 years old when they started their company.
Join us today as we talk about age as a feature, not a barrier, to starting a new company.
00:00:00 Bu
Employee Communication Best Practices
Join us this week on Business Brain as we dive deeply into different communication methods with your employees. Find out what works, what doesn’t, and how to fix problems. Don’t miss our intro topic about how to save thousands on your tech gear with this “one simple trick.”
Oh yeah, it’s our 400th episode! 7.5 years in the making – you don’t want to miss this one. Cheers!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #400 for Wednesday, October 5th, 2022
00:01:44 The value of bullheaded-
Avoiding Employee Burnout
Your employees are your business’s greatest asset. How can you ensure they your team is energized and excited about the work they do? What methods and policies can you put in place to help employees avoid burnout, and what are some signs that your employees need better tools to keep motivated?
Join us for episode 399 of Business Brain to learn more about employee burnout: what it is, how it starts, and how you can overcome it.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #399 for Wednesd
Find a Mentor, Employee Chatter, and Festivus Employee Meetings
It’s a grab-bag of topics today on Business Brain!
Listen in to hear about the importance of finding a good mentor, why your employees will always share the info you may not expect them to, and an idea for a Festivus type of meeting where employees can be free to “air the grievances.” Do Team Accountability Meetings have a place in your business? We think they could, with some caveats.
Join us for episode 398 of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #398 for Wedne
What is a Portfolio Life?
Would you invest all your money in one stock? If the answer is no, why would you invest all your efforts into one company, one side hustle, and one career path?
Join us today as we discuss the concept of the Portfolio Life and how it fits into our favorite Revenue Stack idea to help you create wealth, build flexibility into your life and add stability to your personal system for success.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #397 for Wednesday, September 14th, 2022
00:02:12 Tim-C
Principles of Managing Reality
Join us today on Business Brain as we discover and explore Ray Dalio’s Principles for success. Dave and Shannon will help you start building the Factory in Your Brain to create success and a Charmed Life for your business and personal life.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #396 for Wednesday, September 7th, 2022
00:01:10 Apple Event Day!
00:07:34 SPONSOR: Shopify – For anyone to sell anywhere, Shopify is giving you a fourteen-day trial and full access to Shopify’s entire sui
Why Creatives Need a Business Brain
We see more and more automation entering the workforce to take over many blue- and white-collar jobs. One area that we think will always be handled by humans is creative job roles such as designers, musicians, producers, and more.
But how do these creative entrepreneurs create a Charmed Life and build wealth? They need to use their Business Brain.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #395 for Wednesday, August 31st, 2022
00:01:14 The Value of Conferences
Podcast Movement 2022
B
The Business of Music
Every musician is a small business owner, and this week we have Paul Kent from Gig Gab — The Show for Working Musicians — join us for a crossover episode to dive into how we can apply our business brains in our musical endeavors! Press play to learn…and always be performing, too
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #394 & Gig Gab 355 for the week of Monday, August 22nd, 2022
00:02:30 The Business of Being a Musician
Define Success
Is it a business, a hobby, or both?
Keep contin
Reputation Management - Before and After a Disaster
When you own a business, everything is public. Or at least you should consider that it could be. Your emails, Slack posts, phone calls, and even in-person interactions can be captured and shared with the world.
How do you prepare and train your employees to avoid reputation disasters, and what steps can you take when it does happen? Join us to find out and learn how to protect your business reputation on this episode of Business Brain!
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #393 f
Politics in Business and the Importance of Downtime
Join us today on Business Brain as we discuss the pros and cons of including politics in your business and the importance of stepping away and getting some much-needed downtime to help you think and solve problems.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #392 for Wednesday, August 10th, 2022
00:02:13 Talking About Politics In Your Business
feedback@businessbrain.show
Sponsors
00:11:13 SPONSOR: Bambee – Let Bambee help with your dedicated HR Manager! Go to Bambee.com/SMALL right
Interview with Gary Arndt of the Everything Everywhere Podcast
The Covid-19 lockdowns created headaches for many business owners and created opportunities for others. Gary Arndt, the host of the Everything Everywhere podcast, falls into BOTH of those categories.
Join us today as we learn about the 10-year journey that led to the start of Everything Everywhere and how Gary has grown the Podcast tremendously during the last two years.
00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs’ Podcast #391 for Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022
00:01:55 Guest: Gary Arndt from Eve
Business Brain is Born and Listener Questions – Business Brain 390
We have been using the term Business Brain frequently on The Small Business Show since it encapsulates so much of how we want you to think about not just your Small Business but also your life in general.
When you use your Business Brain, you are:
Using a Problem-Solving Mindset
Building a Revenue Stack
Creating your Story
Embracing mistakes
Compartmentalizing your thoughts
Delegating to grow your business
Using the Power of Reciprocity
Not making fear-based decisions
Taking Action every-singl
How to Handle Layoffs
This is the second show in our series about hiring right and handling layoffs. Our Business Brain tells us that our employees are the most important asset we have, so we always suggest doing everything you can to avoid layoffs.
However, sometimes layoffs can’t be avoided if you want to make it through a downturn or you have to restructure your business based on other factors. Let’s take a deep dive into the best way to handle this unpleasant aspect of owning a business.
Intro topic idea: Buy Re
Hiring Tips and When Layoffs Become a Reality, Part 1
We are entering an interesting time when it comes to employees. You may be struggling to find enough people to fill certain roles while considering layoffs of others to cut your costs to make it through a possible recession.
We consider layoffs to be the last resort since we believe you should protect your talent as much as possible. However, if you have certain people that are not performing or helping your company grow, we don’t think you should hesitate when it comes to letting them go.
At th
Developing Revenue Stacks
We have talked about the idea of a Revenue Stack a number of times on The Small Business Show. Episode 115 back in 2017 dived deeper into the concept.
With the current and future business economy looking uncertain, it’s time to jump back into the Revenue Stack concept to see how it can help you weather a downturn and ultimately build wealth for you personally as well as your business.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #387 for Wednesday, July 6, 2022
00:01:32 Which is better? Monday or Friday off?
How to Finance Anything – AKA How to Fund Your Business
It takes money to make money, right? Whether you are just getting started or you have been in business for years, you are going to need access to capital for your business.
So what resources are there for new and established businesses? Should you go the traditional route of a local bank or use some new online financing source? And what about your credit cards and other non-traditional ways to raise money?
Let’s jump into the deep end today and figure out how to get you the money you need to thr
Why YOU Should NOT Start a Business
For 7 years we have been encouraging you to start a Small Business. Along the way, we have shared countless stories of success and provided you with tons of resources to help run your business.
For this episode, we thought it would be a good time to discuss the reasons why YOU still haven’t started a business. Maybe there are very good reasons that you have kept on the sidelines – let’s discuss those and see where it leads.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #385 for Wednesday, June 22, 2022
00:02:12
Surviving and Thriving During a Downturn
You might have noticed that the economy is a little crazy right now. Fuel prices are skyrocketing, the stock market is plummeting, and inflation is at the highest point in decades.
Has your Small Business been impacted by these factors? If not, will it be at some later date? Are there opportunities you can take advantage of if we roll into a recession? Join us today as we discuss how your Small Business can survive when things slow down and how by making changes and identifying new opportunities
Cutting Costs While Preserving Value
The future is uncertain. Are we headed for a recession as the Fed works to tame inflation by increasing interest rates? Will fuel prices come down or are they headed for double digits?
To prepare for the worst, it’s time to look at your Small Business costs to find places where you can save money while preserving the value you add to your customers. Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton today as they discuss tips and tricks to lower your expenses in ways that your customers won’t notice
Managing Employee Mistakes - Carrot or Stick?
Everyone screws up. How can you minimize mistakes while building confidence in your employees? How many times do you let someone mess up before you have to discipline or terminate them?
What are the best methods for creating conscientious employees that learn from their mistakes? Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean to learn how they manage and react when things go wrong.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #382 for Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Plan B for Better
00:03:19 Scott-380–RichRelevanc
Creative Methods to Recruit and Retain Employees
There’s a nationwide shortage of workers and attracting the best talent can be challenging. How do you make your Small Business stand out among other companies? Should you just compete on salary levels? What creative methods can you use to bring the best employees to your company?
Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss creative ways to attract employees to your Small Business.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #381 for Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Coaching The Kids
00:09:07 SPONSOR: Shopi
A Million Dollar Side Hustle and the All Powerful Email Newsletter
Join us for episode 380 of The Small Business Show to get an update on Shannon’s experiment to create a company just using his phone – he just hit a significant milestone. Then it’s on to a discussion about Email newsletters and why your Small Business needs one, how to create them, how to grow them, and how to turn them into a powerful customer connection and revenue machine.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #380 for Wednesday, May 18, 2022
00:01:17 Find what you love
00:04:59 Shannon’s Social Com
Buying out a Partner and Turning Your Employer into a Customer
What’s the best way to buy out your business partner when you don’t have the cash? How do you convert your side-hustle to a full-time business AND recruit your current employer as your first customer?
Join us for episode 379 of The Small Business Show as we tackle these questions from our audience and more!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #379 for Wednesday, May 11, 2022
00:01:38 The Value of a Nametag as an Icebreaker
No One Sees The Mac Observer Acquisition as a Negative
00:10:30 Email us you
Creating Career Paths for your Employees Part 2
Listen in for our second episode in a series and learn how developing career paths for your employees will help your business become stronger and more profitable.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #378 for Wednesday, May 4, 2022
00:01:31 Today’s Tip: “Candidly, not Honestly”
00:13:04 Recap of Small Business Show Episode 377
Sponsors
00:13:44 SPONSOR: iTrust Capital. Invest in Crypto using your IRA. No Monthly Fees and only 1% Transaction fees. Over 25+ Cryptocurrencies available, including Bitcoin,
Elon Musk, Julia Child and Part 1 of Career Paths
Want to keep your best employees from leaving your company? By giving them a clear path to advance within your Small Business not only will your employees be more fulfilled, but they will also be more valuable as they build their Talent Stack.
Join us today for episode 377 of The Small Business Show where we tackle the why and the how of creating career paths for your employees. You will also hear our take on Elon Musk’s Twitter buyout and a lesson in problem-solving from Julia Child. Let’s go!
The Superpower of Compartmentalizing Your Thoughts
Running your Small Business can seem overwhelming at times. There are a thousand things going on that require your attention and hundreds of decisions that need to be made in a timely manner.
How do you keep things straight? How can you keep focused on what is important at this moment?
Listen to The Small Business Show today as we discuss the power of compartmentalization and how to hack your brain to keep your sanity at work and at home while being more present for everyone around you.
00:00:0
Transparency for Fun and Profit
Being Transparent in your Small Business can be a key tool to gaining customers, attracting the best talent, and building your personal brand.
Make transparency part of your company culture:
For your Employees
For your Customers
For your Suppliers
For your Partners and Advisors
Join us today on The Small Business Show as we discuss just how Transparency can help you on your path towards taking over the world.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #375 for
Defined Benefit Plans and Taking the Employees Perspective
Join us for a fresh-squeezed edition of the Small Business Show as we dive into a grab back of topics today including Defined Benefit Plans that can help both employees and employers lower tax liability, a look at how some employees feel about their relationship with your Small Business and news from SXSW 2022.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #374 for Wednesday, April 6, 2022
00:01:47 What is a Defined Benefit Plan?
00:09:29 The employEE perspective of being laid-off
Sponsors
00:21:06 SPONSOR: Ra
The Problem with Giving Employees What They Want
Small Business owners want happy and productive employees. Can you get those types of employees by giving them everything they say they want?
Do your employees really know what they want and if you plan on asking them, what’s the best way to phrase the question? Join us today on The Small Business Show where we discuss the problem with giving employees what they want along with more topics you don’t want to miss!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #373 for Wednesday, March 30, 2022
00:02:00 Back to T
Delegating for Success
You can’t do it all. As Small Business owners, we may have started out taking on every role and doing all the work but the only way we can build a successful business is to create teams and delegate tasks.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss the importance of delegating and how to use it as one of your Small Business Superpowers.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #372 for Wednesday, March 23, 2022
00:01:53 Beware Falling in Love with Titles
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00:11:52 SPONSOR: Rate
What is Decoy Pricing and how can your Small Business use it?
We have done a few episodes recently about how to manage cost increases and how to raise your prices. Dave recently came across the concept of Decoy Pricing that is worth looking at.
What is Decoy Pricing?
Decoy pricing is a strategy that aims to guide a potential customer towards a specific product or service by presenting an inferior choice. Listen in to learn more!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #371 for Wednesday, March 16, 2022
00:01:00 Ben Thompson’s Stratechery Newsletter about Shopify
00:
Using Fear as a Compass
One of our favorite sayings on The Small Business Show is “Don’t make fear-based decisions” – Brian Friss from Digistor
But we want to take another look at fear and how it may help guide you to what you SHOULD do.
If you are afraid of it, that may be a sign that success lies in that direction. Join us today as we tackle the fear and redirect it to power us forward.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #370 for Wednesday, March 9, 2022
00:01:43 Think about what your customers need
SquareMouth travel in
How to Create Meetings that Matter
You may not be fond of meetings at your Small Business, but they can be productive and serve a purpose. Today your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton jump back into this topic to discuss strategies that can help to make your meetings less painful and perhaps even useful. Join us!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #369 for Wednesday, March 2, 2022
00:01:31 Can You Play? — I Don’t Meet My Company’s Diversity Requirements
Sponsors
00:16:50 SPONSOR: Hunter Douglas — Visit HunterDouglas.com/SBS today
Creating a Culture Focused on Results
The power of focusing on results instead of effort. Join us today as your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean share their experiences with getting your team focused on systems that produce results instead of those that reward hard work without achievement.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #368 for Wednesday, February 23, 2022
00:02:48 Chuck-366-The Importance of Employees in “The Great Resignation”
Sponsors
00:09:52 SPONSOR: Novo: Get Your Free business banking account in just 10 minutes at BankN
Dissecting the Wordle Business + Developing a Problem Solving Mindset
It’s a grab bag of topics for episode 367 of The Small Business Show this week! First, we jump into a discussion of Wordle and their business model, then we talk about the Problem-Solving Mindset and how to develop it if you don’t already have it.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for another Small Business Show extravaganza!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #367 for Wednesday, February 16, 2022
We are SmallBusinessing.com
00:03:26 Dissecting the Wordle Business
Managing Your Small Business During a Labor Shortage
Your employees are the life of your business. But what happens when you must operate in a tight labor market with increasing costs? How do you attract and keep employees during a labor shortage?
Let’s look into the reasons we are having a labor shortage in the first place, then how to deal with it related to your employees and how it impacts your customers. We then look to the future to predict the long-term impact on Small Businesses.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #366 for Wednesday, February 9
The Small Business Executive Summary – What it is and why you need it
It’s a new year and a good time to reflect on how things went for your business in 2021. If your company is structured as a corporation or LLC, you will also want to create notes (AKA minutes) from the annual meeting requirement of your managing board.
An Executive Summary is what you need.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they discuss the value of the Executive Summary and how they each use it in different ways to help run their businesses.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #365 fo
Leadership vs. Management – Can you be good at both?
Small Business owners are forced to play all kinds of roles in their company. They must be leaders to attract talent and to create a vision for the business while at the same time they need to understand the importance of managing people to get things done.
Are leadership skills and quality management mutually exclusive? Let’s find out today on episode 364 of The Small Business Show!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #364 for Wednesday, January 26, 2022
00:02:12 Paypal Zettle now integrates with W
Managing Employees of all Ages and Dave Sells a Business
Small Business owners understand the importance of building a strong team of employees and a company culture that creates a great place to work. But how do you go about managing employees in different age groups?
Do you have to alter the way you interact and manage people based on their expectations, their outlook, and their values? Join your multi-generational manager hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton to get their take on trying to serve the needs of all employees while serving the needs of
Creating Recurring Revenue Streams for Your Small Business
Can you create a subscription or other recurring revenue program based on your existing products or services? Join us today on The Small Business Show as we discuss why recurring revenue can help both your business and your customers.
Listen to your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss creative methods to add recurring revenue to your Small Business.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #362 for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
00:02:06 Choosing Your Path With Your Attorney
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Stop Admiring Problems and Shift to Embracing Solutions
Small Business owners are problem solvers. But what happens if you or your team are focused on the problems instead of solutions? Join us today as Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss the importance of solution-based thinking and action over ideas to keep your business moving towards success.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #361 for Wednesday, January 5, 2022
00:01:28 401(Play) – Plan, Socialize, Save, and Travel
Stop Admiring The Problem
00:09:05 SPONSOR: Shopify – For anyone to sell any
Managing Inflation and How to Raise Your Prices
Everything is more expensive this year. With record-setting inflation hitting all of our wallets, how can Small Business owners manage increasing supply costs while still keeping their customers happy?
We included some tips about managing inflation in episode 351 back in October, but with inflation sticking around longer than first anticipated, it’s worth revisiting and expanding on that topic. The Producer Price Index rose to 9.6% year-over-year, the largest increase in history. Let’s figure th
Jeremy Butcher Talks Apple Business Essentials
Are you using Apple products for your Small business? Listen in this week as we talk with Jeremy Butcher, Enterprise and Education Product Marketing at Apple about how the suite of device management, support, and services in the Apple Business Essentials bundle can keep your Mac and iOS devices running strong so you can focus on your Small Business instead of your technology.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #359 for Wednesday, December 22, 2021
00:01:09 Apple’s Jeremy Butcher Talks Apple Bus
Managing Your Expectations of Other People
To be a successful Small Business owner, you must embrace accountability. Not just for yourself, but for your employees, contractors, partners, and suppliers. So, what do you do when people don’t match your expectations of how hard they should be working, how fast they should be getting things done, and how high the quality of work being completed is?
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they discuss ways to manage those expectations and how to shift our own thinking to increase the
The Multiple Benefits to Requiring Employees to take Vacation
Want to find flaws in the systems of your Small Business? Today we discuss the concept of requiring employees to take time off to expose problems that may be getting overlooked or worse, hidden. We also discuss the benefits to your employees that get a chance to step away from work to refresh and bring back new ideas.
Then your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean jump into a conversation about how sick days are treated for employees that are working from home. Listen in for this and more!
00:0
Hiring Your First Employee
Your new business is doing great. But, you are doing everything yourself and you need some help. Is it time to hire your first employee? Listen in as Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss this important milestone for any Small Business owner.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #356 for Wednesday, December 1, 2021
00:00:48 The Concept of “Fiat Time”
00:05:08 Who Should Be Your First Employee?
00:06:51 How to know when you’re ready?
The eMyth single-member-company org chart
Business Evolution Rep
The 2021 Thankful Episode
Although we are living through some crazy times, your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have a lot to be thankful for. Join us today as we share stories about what we are thankful for as it relates to our Small Businesses and beyond.
Listen in and then share what you’re thankful for in the Small Business Support Group!
00:01:32 Trailing Twelve Months…to Accruals Basis
EBITDA vs. Sellers’ Discretionary Earnings
eMyth
Time Kills All Deals
00:13:03 SPONSOR: Coinbase, the trusted and e
AccountEdge Product Evangelist Todd Salkovitz
We talk about the importance of Accounting and accurate data on the show all the time. Maybe it’s because I am not that great at it and am always looking for ways to get better and/or partner with people that are smarter than I am in these areas.
During episode 348, we spent time discussing specific brands of Accounting software, and I made some ridiculous comments that got one of those companies up in our grill to defend their product. I love it.
Todd Salkovitz has been representing AccountEdge
Does the SBA Actually Help Small Businesses? Learning to Coach Your Customers
Join us for episode 353 of The Small Business Show where we answer the question: What does the Small Business Administration actually do for Small Businesses? Then we jump into a new concept about how to coach your customers into good behavior.
Listen to your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they share their experiences with the SBA and how coaching customers can be a win-win for you, your employees, and the customers themselves.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #353 for Wednesday, Novem
Choosing the Right Bank and Overcoming Inflation
What type of bank should you choose for your Small Business? Should you put all your assets into one bank or use multiple banks? Join us today during the intro section of The Small Business Show to get these questions answered and to learn why it’s so important to remember who the client is in your banking relationships.
We then jump into a conversation about how to manage the increasing Inflation pressure on your Small Business. Your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss methods to help
Overcoming Supply Chain Issues
Has the Supply Chain problem impacted your Small Business? Join us today as your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss techniques to minimize Supply Chain problems while improving the overall performance of your Small Business.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #351 for Wednesday, October 27, 2021
00:01:52 “Old Man Disease”
Maintain your neuroplasticity
Avoid Change Resistance
Don’t be Blinded by Pessimism
00:10:39 Coming up: Supply Chain Issues and Inflation!
00:11:14 SPONSOR: NetSuite. N
Managing Small Business IT Infrastructure
As Small Business owners, we all know how important it is to keep your technology up and running with minimal downtime. What’s the best way to get support for your information technology needs? What IT support options are out there for Small Business owners?
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss the options available for Small Business owners to keep your tech up and running. But first, you don’t want to miss the rant about selling on Marketplaces. Listen in and learn!
Valuing Your Time and the Short & Long Productivity System
Managing your time as a Small Business owner is a critical part of each day. Join us today as your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss how to identify when your time becomes more valuable than the task you are working on and how to delegate so you can more effectively apply your skills to another task.
We also introduce a new Long & Short productivity system that Shannon has been developing to help him “eat the frog” in the most productive manner as possible.
00:00:00 Small Business Sh
Choosing Accounting Software and the Best Books and Podcasts for Small Business Owners
How do you choose the best accounting software for your Small Business? What’s right for one business may not fit the needs of another. Today on The Small Business Show we talk Accounting software during our introduction and then it’s on to books and Podcasts!
What business books are your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton reading? Join us today to learn about the books that have made an impact on the Small Business success of your hosts. Dave and Shannon also dive into their current favorite
Why and How to Identify Your Primary Customer
Does your business have a Primary Customer? A customer type that you have identified that you focus all your energy and skills trying to make happy? Does this Primary Customer generate most of your profits? If not, why not?
Today on The Small Business Show we discuss how and why it is important to identify your Primary Customer for the success of your Small Business.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #347 for Wednesday, September 29, 2021
00:03:00 Beginning the process of selling a business
Bob G
Top 10 Small Business Owner Personality Traits
What personality traits do successful Small Business owners share? Which traits help Small Business owners to overcome adversity to find success? Join us today on The Small Business Show to find out!
Your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton each share their list of essential traits they believe create successful Small Business owners. Listen in and compare your own traits with their list!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #346 for Wednesday, September 22, 2021
00:01:41 What is Small Business Week
EIDL Loans, Accountants and Tapping into the Creativity and Productivity Faucet
Did you participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or the Economic Impact Disaster Loan (EIDL) program? During our Small Business Show intro this week we discuss how to get your EIDL paid back and why it’s important to plan for the long-term when changing Accountants.
Then it’s on to a dissection of the Creativity and Productivity Faucet Concept!
How is it that some people and some businesses seem to be incredibly creative and productive? Pumping out new creative content, new products,
Google Trends and What's the Best Website for Your Small Business?
Your Small Business needs a website and you need customers to be able to find it. Join us today on The Small Business Show to learn how Google Trends research can help you attract the customers you need.
Then it’s on to a discussion about how to decide which type of website you need, what kind of service provider, and how to get the website of your dreams built without breaking the bank.
Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean for episode 344 of the Small Business Show for all this and more!
00:0
Local SEO Search Optimization and Managing Customer Returns
Making sure your company surfaces in search results for “near me” searches is critical for local search engine optimization. What local SEO search optimization techniques will help your local customers find you above your competition? Listen to episode 343 of The Small Business Show to learn more!
Then it’s time to take a deep dive into how to turn customer returns into a competitive advantage for your Small Business. Learn from co-host Shannon Jean’s 30+ years of managing returns and creating p
Best Small Business Phone Systems and Credit Card Rewards – Small Business Show 342
What’s the Best Small Business phone system for your business? Join us this week on The Small Business Show as we discuss how answering your phone can be a competitive advantage!
Then it’s on to a deep dive into the benefits of using affinity credit cards to enhance your lifestyle while using them for your Small Business. Listen in to your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton to hear how they have lived a Charmed Life with the help of credit card points.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #342 for
Small Business Accounting Secrets and All About Trademarks
Are you living a “before-tax” lifestyle? What other accounting secrets are you missing out on that could improve your life while saving money for your Small Business?
Is a Trademark important for your small business? When should you file for one and can you do it yourself? What happens if your Trademark is challenged? All this and more on The Small Business Show this week!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #341 for Wednesday, August 18, 2021
00:01:08 Small Business Accounting Hidden Secrets – Livi
Small Business Payroll and Creating Impactful Presentations
What’s the best way to take care of your Small Business Payroll? Should you do it yourself or use a service? Join us during the introduction to Episode 340 of The Small Business Show to find out what your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton think!
Then, it’s on to a discussion about how to create and make presentations that have an impact. How not to bore or confuse your audience and why we think less is more when it comes to great presentations. You will also get a chance to learn about Guy Ka
The Best Printer for Small Business and Managing Customer Privacy
What’s the best printer for your Small Business? Multi-function, Inkjet, Laser – we discuss the pros and cons of each printer type with real-world experiences from your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean.
Then it’s on to a discussion about Customer Privacy – what are your responsibilities as a keeper of data at your Small Business? How can we keep our privacy policies simple and is there a way to use our customer data handling as a selling point? Can you build trust and credibility with your c
PPP Loan Forgiveness and Simplicity In Your Business
How many steps does it take for a customer to speak to a human at your business? How about placing an order? How easy is it for a return to be processed or a refund to be issued?
Over time, all of us can fall into the complexity trap of making things too complicated for our customers, our employees, and ourselves. Let’s call it Complexity Creep. As you work on solving problems, it’s easy to add “just one more step” or “one more option” to take care of a specific issue.
Today on The Small Busines
Eric Benavides Founder of Backyard Workroom
Having an area for work, exercise, or just to get away is critically important. We have discussed ways to carve out space when working from home, and both Dave and Shannon have discussed how having an area outside of your home can increase your productivity and sanity.
Today on the show, we are chatting with Eric Benavides, Founder and CEO of Backyard Workroom – a company building and installing structures in as little as 2-3 weeks that can give you that space we’ve been talking about.
00:00:
Managing Hybrid Work Schedules for your Small Business
If you switched to a work from home business model during the pandemic, you may now be working on a plan to get your team back into the office. What’s the best method to start in-person schedules again? How do you transition those workers that don’t want to work in person anymore and what about hybrid work schedules?
Today we are going to tackle these challenges and more as we discuss a few different hybrid models, their pros and cons, and how to be meet the needs of your employees AND your busi
Orchid Insanity Founder Dean Hung
We love getting a chance to talk with business owners that have carved out a successful niche for themselves. Today we’re sitting down with Dean Hung, Founder of Orchid Insanity. Dean has built a successful business selling Orchids on his website, eBay and Etsy.
Listen and learn about the challenges of selling products that have to stay alive when shipping them worldwide and more!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #335 for Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Dean Hung from Orchid Insanity
The riches are in t
Advising a Young Entrepreneur and Gamiotics Check in
Today on The Small Business Show we check in with David Carpenter, Founder of Gamiotics and the Seize the Show entertainment group. But first, it’s listener Q&A where your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton give advice to a parent of a first-time entrepreneur. Join us!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #334 for Wednesday, June 28, 2021
00:02:40
00:03:57 Kelly-Advice for a first-generation entrepreneur
feedback@businessshow.co
Don’t Make Fear-Based Decisions
Listen to Yourself
Take Actio
Roger Volodarsky Founder and CEO of Puffco
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they sit down with Puffco Founder and CEO, Roger Volodarsky. The episode is a master class in building a niche business to produce the best products and customer experience that is possible. Roger is a true champion of creating products that solve particular problems and building a business that reflects his self-expression.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #333 for Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Interview with Roger Volodarsky, CEO and Founder of Puf
The Power of Reciprocity
Giving something of value away to customers before they place an order is a common sales and marketing technique. This reciprocity tactic is a powerful way to use persuasion to attract new customers to your business.
But what about using it in other ways? With your employees, suppliers, and partners? Today on The Small Business Show you will learn about the hidden power of reciprocity and why it should be at the forefront of decision making for your business.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dav
Employee Reviews and What to do When You're Stuck
What’s the best way to manage employee reviews for your team? Should you use an objective, numerical rating system or stick with a more subjective process? Join us today as your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss ways to make reviews a productive and positive experience for employees and employers.
After a message from our sponsor, Streak, then it’s time for listener questions where Kevin tells us that our pie-in-the-sky optimism isn’t working for him. We get down to Earth and offer Ke
Ownership, Distractions and a LinkedIn Wrap Up
This week on The Small Business Show, your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss choosing your ownership and why distractions can be valuable. Then it’s a wrap-up of LinkedIn with a focus on how to use the platform to grow your business, make connections and build your personal brand. Join us!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #330 for Wednesday, June 2, 2021
00:01:01 Seth Godin: “If you want to run an organization you’re proud of, choose your ownership as carefully as you choose your e
Why Your Small Business Needs to be on LinkedIn
On this episode of The Small Business Show, hear why co-host Shannon Jean believes LinkedIn is one of the most underutilized tools for Small Business owners. We jump into the WHY both you and your Small Business should have a presence on LinkedIn with some enlightening personal anecdotes and lessons learned on the platform.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #329 for Wednesday, May 26, 2021
00:01:24 How to Make LinkedIn Work for your Business
LinkedIn Jobs (with a $50 SBS Coupon!)
00:05:03 Usin
Tra Williams, Author of Boss Brain
Over the past 6-seasons on The Small Business Show, we frequently discuss the tactics and actions required to make the jump from Employee to Employer – leaving the comfort of a 9-5 job to start your own Small Business and to create the Charmed Life we promote on the show.
Our guest today is a believer. He’s on a quest, a mission, if you will to rescue 1-million entrepreneurs from traditional employment. Tra Williams has escaped employment and founded several companies, has helped other business
Rebecca Michals, eBay Director of Community and Engagement
If you are a Small Business owner selling any kind of product or service, is selling and marketing on eBay part of your long-term strategy? We think it should be! Join us today as we speak with Rebecca Michals, eBay Director of Community and Engagement to learn why and how eBay is focused on helping Small Business owners succeed.
Rebecca Michals, eBay’s Director, Seller Community and Engagement
Marketing Seller to Seller, but everyone’s a customer
The eBay for Business Podcast
Make your podcast
Why Your Attitude about Cleaning the Toilet is a Success Indicator
Are you willing to do everything to make your Small Business succeed or do find certain tasks “below you”? Join us for this episode of The Small Business Show to hear why your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton believe that cleaning the toilets is a crucial step towards success as a Small Business owner.
You will hear about doing whatever it takes to succeed while still being wise with your time and why leading from a position of humbleness can make all the difference for your success as a lea
Controlling Your Vernacular and Unconventional Ways to Promote Your Business Story
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for a discussion about what phrases to avoid in-person and with written communication. Then it’s time to discuss very unconventional methods to share your story with both your customers, employees, and partners.
Listen in and then join us at the Small Business Support Group!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #325 for Wednesday, April 28, 2021
00:02:09 Controlling our Vernacular
Ridding the Pleonasms!
Don’t be afraid to chat voice.
Is it a Compliment S
Howard Tiersky - Business Digital Transformation
Joining us for this episode of The Small Business Show is Howard Tiersky, CEO of FROM, a company that describes itself as a Digital Transformation Agency. Howard is going to help us learn about successful digital product launches and how to get our companies ready for the digital future.
Howard is also the Best Selling Author of Winning Digital Customers – a terrific manual for driving digital success at your own company.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #324 for Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Howard Ti
Brittany Smith, Cognitive Neuroscientist and Managing Entrepreneur ADHD
Following up on episode 321 where we questioned if ADHD is a “disorder or super-power” for Small Business owners, we are joined today by Brittany Smith, a Cognitive Neuroscientist with a specialty in helping people overcome the challenges of ADHD.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they dig deeper into the topic of ADHD for Entrepreneurs and what tools can be used to find success.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #323 for Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Brittany Smith, Cognitive Neuroscien
Multimedia Storytelling with Bailey Barnard of Media Stone Creative
One of the opportunities of owning a business that we discuss on the show often is being able to create your own story. Molding a powerful narrative around your business, your brand, your products, and even yourself can be one of the most rewarding and powerful aspects of being a business owner.
But what if you’re not sure how to get started creating this narrative, or you need help getting your story out there to your prospective customers? Joining us today is Bailey Barnard, Founder and Creati
Can ADHD be a Super-Power for Small Business Owners?
Having ADHD as a kid is challenging and can be a huge obstacle to being successful in school. There’s no doubt that as parents and educators, we need to continue to develop new systems to help ADHD kids be successful during their formative years.
But what about beyond our youth? Are there aspects of ADHD that can help us to succeed? Is ADHD really a hidden super-power that can be used to help us lead a Charmed Life? That’s the topic for this episode of The Small Business Show.
Join your hosts Sh
The Hiring Process: Attracting, Vetting and Interviewing
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they work through the Hiring Process with a new employee for one of Dave’s small businesses, Backbeat Media. We will discuss attracting talent by using LinkedIn Jobs, vetting prospective candidates, and tips and techniques for holding interviews. We also learn about the extremely effective concept of a “paid audition” for new prospects and much more. Listen in and then share your own hiring tips at the Small Business Support Group!
00:00:00 Smal
Tom Blumenthal - President and CEO of GEARYS Beverly Hills
It’s not often that we have a guest running a business that has been in operation for over 90-years. A company that may have started small but has grown to 5 locations in Southern California with over 80 employees.
Tom Blumenthal has had the challenging task of stewarding a storied brand through the Coronavirus and adapting to changing customer habits and desires. Tom is the President and CEO of GEARYS Beverly Hills, and we are fortunate to have him with us today.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #
Fueling Your Success with the Tears of Naysayers
As Entrepreneurs and Small Business owners, we often hear these phrases:
That won’t work.
If it’s such a good business idea, why hasn’t anyone else done it?
Maybe you should stay in your lane.
You should be more realistic.
Naysayers are all around us. Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton today on The Small Business Show to learn how to take the power away from the Naysayers and use it as fuel to help you succeed!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #318 for Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Not a
Lloyd Chapman - Founder American Small Business League
Are Small Businesses getting their legally mandated share of government contracts? Lloyd Chapman dug into this issue and was so concerned with the results that he founded the American Small Business League to fight for the rights of Small Business owners and their access to government contracts.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean for a fascinating discussion of missed opportunities, political gamesmanship, and legal battles fought in the name of Small Businesses throughout the Uni
The Luxury of Exhausting Work + Hiring Rock Stars
Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they celebrate the 6th anniversary of The Small Business Show! Your hosts then jump into a conversation about the Luxury of Exhausting Work – a concept you definitely want to learn more about.
Then it’s on to a listener question about the pros and cons of hiring a rock star employee when you really don’t need them right now. Can that person help improve the performance of the rest of your team or will they cause problems you haven’t considered yet? Listen i
Elon Musk: If you need encouragement, don't become an entrepreneur
When asked recently what encouragement he could provide to a new entrepreneur, Elon Musk replied: “If you need encouragement, don’t become an entrepreneur.”
Your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton take a deep dive into this comment and develop ways to build a system that provides built-in encouragement based on your own actions. Join us for this episode of the Small Business Show!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #315 for Wednesday, February 17, 2021
00:02:14 Elon Musk: “If you need encouragemen
Hiring too Slowly and the Concept of Levers
It’s time for more small business therapy on episode 314 of The Small Business Show. We start out with your co-host Dave Hamilton discussing his hiring challenges for a very specific position within one of his businesses. After we work on that issue it’s on to Shannon Jean’s new Concept of Levers and why levers are so important for your Small Business Success. Listen in and then share your own stories with us!
00:00:00 Small Business Show #314 for Wednesday, February 10, 2021
00:02:38 Review Sm
Creating an Exit Strategy and Valuing Your Business
A popular topic on The Small Business Show is getting started – taking action to get your Small Business started so you can begin your journey towards living that Charmed Life we have been discussing for the past 6-years.
But what actions do you need to take when you are ready to step away from your business? How do you plan for your retirement and how about if you want to pass your business on to the next generation? Today on the show we have Ashley Micciche, co-founder, and CEO of True Nor
Resources for Tracking Leads and Requirements
How can you track new customer leads and commitments you have made to your customers without using a complex CRM software system? Join us today for more Small Business Therapy where your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton help a listener come up with a simple system to manage leads and customer requirements.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #312 for Wednesday, January 27, 2021
00:01:55 Business Therapy: Scott-Tracking Leads
FileMaker Pro
SalesForce
Fiverr for FileMaker Developers
00:16:14 SPON
Fighting Customer Fraud and Leveraging Relationships
It’s time once again for a Small Business Therapy session! On this episode of the Small Business Show, co-host Shannon Jean describes (rants?) his frustration to Dave Hamilton with a customer fraud situation and asks about the best methods to avoid fraud in the future.
We also focus on how established relationships can assist you when you need it but that they must already have trust and added value before asking for help. Join us for episode 311 of The Small Business Show!
00:00:00 Small Busin
Free Speech or Just a Bad Business Decision?
Does the Parler App and business have a free speech problem or just a Small Business problem? Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they discuss what happens when you rely too much on a single supplier or customer for your success. Hear why Dave thinks “If you rely on one source, you don’t really own the business – your source does.”
00:00:00 Small Business Show #310 for Wednesday, January 13, 2021
00:01:24 If one company can make or break your business, it wasn’t your business to b
Our 2020 Small Business Report + 2021 Trends
Welcome to the first Small Business Show experience of 2021! We hope you had a great holiday, all things considered, and we’re excited to be with you for what will surely be a terrific year with some tremendous success for all of us.
Join us as your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton talk about how their various businesses performed in 2020 with insights into why they did better or worse during the Pandemic and what they expect to do in 2021.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #309 for Wednesday, J
Time to Shake the SBS Box, Questions instead of statements, Sunk Costs and more
Welcome to another Small Business Show experience. This is the show that is by, for, and about Small Business owners. Today’s episode is a grab bag of topics that your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have gathered throughout the year. Small yet important topics that we want to spend some time today discussing.
First, you will get a chance to provide input on what we feature on the show each week for 2021 and beyond. Changes are afoot and we want to hear from you! Connect with us and share y
Jack Tompkins Founder of Pineapple Consulting
We talk about decision making frequently on The Small Business Show. One of our oft-repeated bits of advice that came from a previous guest was to never make fear-based decisions for your business. Today on the show we have a guest that is all about making Data-Driven Decisions and how using and visualizing your company data can dramatically impact your success. Jack Tompkins is Managing Partner and Founder of Pineapple Consulting and we are super interested in hearing how they use Small Busines
End of Year Small Business Tasks and Opportunities
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Andrew Millar - Franchising Success uBreakiFix
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Evan Samet - Perseverance in the Time of Covid
There’s nothin
Traci Reuter - Founder of Divine Social
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Brian Burke - Personal Branding and LinkedIn Success
As Small Business owners, we are all laser-focused on creating healthy and profitable businesses as part of the path to living a Charmed Life. But what about building your own personal brand? Expanding off of your business
Lise Cartwright - Hustle and Groove
Small Businesses come in all shapes and sizes. Some of us want to build companies with large teams of employees and multiple locations while others want to be solopreneurs to create a Charmed Life without those responsibil
Chelsea Martin - Noms Bake Shop
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Courtney De Ronde - TDT CPAs and Advisors
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Uri Bram, CEO of The Browser
We are flooded with information each day – articles, headlines, podcasts, news, and more. Today, our guest runs several businesses built around curating this flood of content into something worthwhile to read or listen to. Stories that have lasting value, and that can change your life. Uri Bram is the CEO of The Browser and The Listener – businesses built around curation that we are excited to learn more about.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #298 for Wednesday, October 14, 2020
00:01:14 SPONSOR:
Ecommerce Queen Bee - Janis Carmena
Interested in starting a Small Business selling private-label products on Amazon and other marketplaces? Join your hos
Creating Remarkable Customer Service
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Listener Questions about Health Insurance, Family Funding and Hiring
It’s time for
Successful Meeting Strategies
Love them or hate them, meetings are a necessary part of running your Small Business. So how do you structure your meetings to make them successful, efficient, and p
Attracting and Amplifying Luck
Why do some people seem to be so lucky? Can you make yourself luckier than others? How can luck impact your Small Business? Join
Embracing Failure to Achieve Success
Managing failure is a huge part of being a successful Small Business owner. How you work through failure, how you frame those failures in the stories you share with others
Victoria Lioznyansky - Brilliant Speakers Academy
Being comfortable and confident speaking in front of people is an i
Actions are Greater Than Ideas
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean for a special episode of The Small Business Show where we argue that your actions far outweigh the im
Adam Gifford - Founder of TackleHack.com
I am always excited when I can combine two topics that I really love: Small Business and outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, and camping. Today on the show we get to meet Adam Gifford, Found
Powering Through the Daily Grind of Your Small Business
This week, Dave is spending time with his family before his kids head back to college so we are bringing you one of our favorite episodes from 2018. As you may have heard, we are on a mission to make the term Small Business into a verb, since so much action
Michele Molitor - Founder of Nectar Consulting
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Actions you can take NOW to improve your Small Business
There is one powerful way to improve your Small Business that we talk about frequently on The Small Business Show: taking ACTION. When you step away from talking and set your ideas aside to take action, you will set in motion powerful waves of awesomeness throughout your Small Business. In this episode, your hosts
Taylor Jacobson - Small Business Marketing
Getting your business noticed is a constant challenge. Where do you advertise? What’s the best way to connect with potential customers, and how d
Guido Shulz CEO of Bento for Business
Cash is the lif
Brad Luttrell - Co-Founder of GoWild
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Amanda McGrew - Founder of Playoff Dating App
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Grant Aldrich - Founder of OnlineDegree
Education is ripe for disruption. In K-12 public school systems that have bloated administration and teachers that neve
Scott Reib - Founder of Reib Law
We are firm believers that all Small Businesses should create a private “board of advisors” to help you build a more robust system for achieving success. One of the most important people on that board is your attorney. Today we are excited to be joined by Scott Reib, an attorney with over 20-years of experience. Scott is goin
Kelan Raph Founder of MarketM8
We love to check back in with previous guests to see what they are up to, how their businesses are doing, and what new projects they are working on. Today we have a serial entrepreneur that has been on the show previously to talk about his experience and his latest venture, MarketM8. It’s always great to catch up with Kelan Raph.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they learn about how MarketM8 helps businesses of all sizes with their digital marketing campaigns.
Keirsten Sires Founder of LRT Sports
Our listeners may not know that both Dave and I have sons that just graduated High School and are headed to college in the fall. We have both discussed the lengthy process of getting everything prepared to help our kids be successful when applying for and ultimately choosing a college. It’s been a bit more complicated with the Covid situation and if you have an athlete that is trying to play NCAA sports, it can be even more difficult this year.
Thankfully, today we have the Founder of LRT Sport
Anne and Mark Lackey of HireSmart Virtual Assistants
I recently heard a quote from a successful business owner this week that went something like this: “Hire an assistant and double your income.” I thought about this and realized it encapsulates so much about creating a system to allow you to get outside of your business to focus on long term success and freedom.
Timing for this quote was perfect since our guests this week are focused on Virtual Assistants that can help take your business to another level. Anne and Mark Lackey are Founders of Hire
Derek Vervoorn of Untapped Revenue
Small businesses have been hit so hard during the Covid lockdown – but maybe none as much as personal services like barbers, salons, and gyms. Today on the show we have a guest that specializes in implementing systems specifically for gyms, personal trainers, CrossFit, yoga studios, and more. I couldn’t think of a better time to learn about Untapped Revenue and their system to help personal services get back in business as we all get back to work. Welcome, Derek Vervoorn of Untapped Revenue.
David Jenyns of Systemology
We’ve been focusing on the power of Systems on recent episodes of the Small Business Show and I’m excited to bring another perspective to the conversation with our guest today. Systems are what allow your Small Business to adapt and succeed. They also allow you to expand your business beyond your capabilities and create long-term wealth. As we continue our series of Systems discussions, we are thrilled to have David Jenyns of Systemology with us today to get his take on the power of systems.
Ravi Abuvala Founder of Scaling with Systems
Your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean both subscribe to Scott Adams’ philosophy of Systems over Goals. Systems give you open-ended processes that you adjust over time to continually learn and succeed. When we were contacted by Ravi Abuvala from Scaling with Systems, we knew our listeners would benefit from hearing about his system for scaling your Small Business.
Join us today as we discuss the power of systems and how to free yourself
Resource Update for Small Business Owners – Small Business Show 273
Join us today for a special edition of The Small Business Show! Your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton dive into topics related to surviving and thriving during and after the Coronavirus lockdown. Topics include dealing with anxiety, managing your productivity, and building customer loyalty in times of crisis.
We then jump into a discussion and update about the Economic Injury Disaster Loans and the Paycheck Protection Program. Finally, we wrap up the show with a technical support solution fo
Daniel Blue Founder of Quest Education
Cashflow, access to capital and building wealth. These are frequent topics on The Small Business Show and we are always interested in learning more about increasing each of these. Better cash flow, access to more capital and creating a long term system for building wealth are part of any Small Business success. Joining us today is Daniel Blue from Quest Education to discuss ways to manage capital, pay off debt and build wealth for your retirement.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton a
David Carpenter - Tilted Windmills and Gamiotics Founder
How do you go about creating a successful business built around creativity, theatrical experiences and great content? Joining us today is David Carpenter, Founder of Tilted Windmills Theatricals and Gamiotics to share his experience as a producer of traditional theatre experiences as well as creating new interactive experiences with massive audience participation.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they take a deep dive about managing creative businesses and how to quickly pivot t
Brian Gill - Gillware Data Recovery
We live in a digital world and our devices hold critical data for our businesses and personal lives. What strategies are you putting into place to protect your data for yourself, your Small Business and your team? Joining your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton this week is Brian Gill, data recovery and ransomware expert to discuss ways to protect yourself and what to do if you find yourself in a data crisis. We also get a glimpse into the history of Gillware and how Brian has created a succes
SPECIAL EDITION - COVID-19 Resources for Small Businesses
Things are changing daily as we battle through this war with the COVID-19 virus. Right now the focus is on stopping the spread of the virus, but Small Business owners are also trying to keep their businesses afloat and keep their team employed.
We are getting many questions coming in about the two major government relief programs announced. Join us today as we dive into the details of both programs and answer your questions about how to apply and access the funding. Don’t miss this Special Editi
Marcella Cox - Kindful Body
We all need help from time to time. We work hard to help the Small Business Community here each week and to create a community to help one another get through the struggles of starting and running a Small Business. But what if your Small Business is all about helping people that are managing other problems in their lives?
Today on the Show, we are thrilled to have Marcella Cox, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Founder and Clinical Director of Kindful Body.
Listen in, then join us
Surviving and Thriving in Times of Crisis
We are living in unprecedented times. Every Small Business is being or will be impacted by the Wuhan Coronavirus. We recently discussed how to plan for and respond to disasters.
On this episode of The Small Business Show your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean first share resources for getting help. How to get your Small Business connected to an
Tips and Tools for Working from Home
With the coronavirus situation, many people are experiencing working from home – perhaps for the first time. Working from home can be a great experience but like most things, there are pros and cons and ways to take advantage of the benefits while mitigating the negatives.
Join us for this episode of The Small Business Show to learn about how your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean mak
Does Your Work Ethic Match Your Partner's?
What happens when your work ethic doesn’t match up with your business partner’s? And how should you communicate to a potential business partner about your work ethic expectation?
Join us on this episode of The Small Business Show to learn about managing work ethic expectations and how to resolve work ethic issues with existing business partners.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #265 for Wednesday, March 4, 2020
00:03:09 Defining Work Ethic
The “I want to work with you” dilemma
Planning for, Surviving and Thriving During Disasters
How do you handle emergency situations when they come up at your Small Business? When (because it will) disaster strikes, how you respond and manage your team and your business can make the difference between success and failure.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as they share tips on planning and preparing for when disaster strikes your Small Business. Listen in and then visit the Small Business Support Group to ask questions and share your own tips!
Thanks for listening and please
Productivity and the Art of Efficiency
What’s the difference between being addicted to productivity and being a workaholic? How can you embrace extreme productivity without blowing up the rest of your life as a Small Business owner?
Join us today on this episode of the Small Business Show to discuss how to ramp up your productivity while keeping the rest of your life in balance.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #263 for Wednesday, February 17, 2020
Shannon’s Pick: Business Wars Podcast
00:03:00 Being Mindful of your
What Type of People Make the Best Employees?
What type of people are the best employees? Does experience outweigh education? How important is personality? Are there certain traits that you can look for that can predict success within your Small Business when hiring?
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they answer these questions and share their own hiring experiences today on episode 262 of The Small Business Show! Listen in and then join us at the Small Business Support Group to ask your questions and share your own story.
Interview with Henry Lopez from The How of Business
Being successful with one Small Business is a great accomplishment. Once you have some success, do you focus on your existing business, or challenge yourself to try something new? Joining us today, Henry Lopez is a serial entrepreneur that has bought and sold businesses as well as starting brand new companies. Henry has also expanded into business coaching, and he hosts The How of Business Podcast.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #261 for Wednesday, February 5, 2020
00:01:19 SPONSOR: Linode. Inst
Souper Cubes Founder Interview - Michelle and Jake Sendowski
All of us at one time or another have thought of a product that would make our lives easier, something we could use ourselves and maybe even offer for sale to other people. Most of these ideas are just that, ideas that don’t go anywhere. Today we have a couple of product innovators joining us that took their concept to fruition and created a company, Souper Products (that’s spelled s-o-u-p-e-r) to bring their product to market.
Building a Credibility Funnel for your Small Business
Credibility and trust are a critical part of Small Business success. Potential customers need to know that your business is trustworthy and that your employees are working on the customer’s best interests.
A Credibility Funnel is a path used to build trust with potential customers and to remove any concerns about doing business with you. The Credibility Funnel ultimately leads to more customers, more sales, more business.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean today as they discuss how t
Planning for Trade Show Success
It’s a new year full of new opportunities for you and your Small Business! Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss the Consumer Electronics Show and how pre-show planning is the key to having a successful and profitable event.
Listen in to episode 258 of the Small Business Show to learn how Dave makes the most of CES, how managing your travel time around the show is critical, how chance encounters can change your life and why the show floor is not
Expanding Your Brand and Increasing Revenue Streams
You have a successful Small Business, but want to increase revenue, expand your brand awareness and create new revenue streams. This week on the Small Business Show, your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton talk about ways to expand your business, your brand and your income.
Listen in and then meet us at the Small Business Support Group to get your questions answered and to join the conversation.
00:00:00 Small Business Show #257 for Wednesday, January 8, 2019
Par
Best of SBS – Interview with Hardcore Closer, Ryan Stewman
Happy New Year, everyone! As we take a day to enjoy celebrating the beginning of the new year with our families, we share one of our favorite episodes from 2017 with you. Happy New Year everyone!
Are you a Closer? On the Small Business Show, we often say that all business owners are in the Customer Service business – but, we’re also in the Sales business. Wether you’re selling a product or service, you’ve got to sell to make your business grow. This week on the Small Business Show, you’ll get to
Best of SBS - Rick Stuart of Listo Corporation
As we enjoy Christmas Day with family and friends, we bring you one of our favorite episodes from 2017. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
What’s more difficult? Starting up a new company or taking over and changing the culture of a 4th generation small business? Join us today on the Small Business Show with our guest Rick Stuart from Listo, a company founded in 1921!
How would you handle taking over and managing employees that have known you since you were a kid? What about “updating” the cultur
Downtime and Relaxation Tips and Tricks
As the saying goes: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The same can be said of Small Business owners. If you don’t give yourself the time and permission to relax, regroup and re-energize, you are going to limit your performance and impact your Small Business in a negative manner.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as answer listener questions about how to disconnect, how to get back to sleep and how to step away from things when you need to relax. Listen in, then visit th
Defining Success to be Successful
Defining what success means to you is a critical part of developing a system to achieve what you want, both in your Small Business and personal life. On this episode of the Small Business Show, join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss how to develop a system to achieve your definition of success.
Listen in to hear what questions you need to ask yourself to come up with your own definition of success, why you should avoid blindly competing with others and why your business
2019 End of Year Small Business Tasks and Opportunities
As we wrap up another awesome Small Business year, it’s time to revisit those tasks and opportunities to take advantage of before we close out December. On this episode of the Small Business Show, your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton share their strategies for closing out the year on a high note. Taking care of things that need to be dated for this calendar year and not missing out on ways to save money, pay fewer taxes, and complete the Executive Summary to keep an ongoing journal of what
Best Small Business Mistakes - Part Two
Hundreds of Small Business owner guests on the Small Business Show have been asked this same question: What is the best mistake you have ever made? A mistake that taught you the most, something you remember to this day?
Join us for Part Two of the Small Business Show where we sample and discuss lessons we have learned from our Best Mistake question. Guests include Paul Goodman of Pura Vida, Brittany Alwerud of Handlr and Brian Friss from Digistor.
Listen in and then join us at the S
The Best Mistakes - Part One
Hundreds of Small Business owner guests on the Small Business Show have been asked this same question: What is the best mistake you have ever made? A mistake that taught you the most, something you remember to this day?
Join us for episode 250 of the Small Business Show where we sample and discuss lessons we have learned from our Best Mistake question. Guests include Tyler Merritt from Field Harmony, Sara Beznicki of A Gilded Leaf, Justin Sisley from Digidern Bookkeeping and Bob Grewal of Seap
Interview with Dominic Carone - Prime Time Treasure Hunter
Today on the show, we are fortunate to have a successful reseller as well as a builder of communities to support other sellers. Dominic Carone is known as the Prime Time Treasure Hunter on YouTube, with over 8,000 subscribers that come to him for advice and support.
As well, Dominic is the administrator and force behind the Reselling Resource Center group on Facebook, with over 13,000 members that help each other succeed. If you are reselling on marketplaces like eBay, Poshmark, or others, yo
The Power of a Failure Resume
You have heard your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean repeatedly discuss the power of optimism, of creating your own Success Story and embracing the power of yes to create a system of success.
But what about failure? Are we shortchanging ourselves and other business owners by neglecting to focus on our failures? Discussing our failures is a way to celebrate our perseverance, our ability to recover and to a bit of humbleness when thinking about our success.
T
Simplicity Sells and Creates a Cycle of Success
Simple marketing messages resonate with your potential customers. They allow you to connect with a customer and promote your brand. But the power of simplicity goes way beyond just marketing.
Today on the Small Business Show, your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean, discuss three areas that benefit dramatically from simplicity: Getting Started, Customer Choice, and Internal Policies and Procedures.
We start with tips on keeping your focus when starting your Small Business or creating a new
One Way Contracts and the Power of Story
Join us today on the Small Business Show to learn how to manage a one-way contract situation. Dave Hamilton shares his experience when negotiating a vague contract and why you might not want to help make the contract better. Listen in as Dave uses Pacing and Leading persuasion techniques to learn more about the person he is signing the contract with and why sometimes the smallest actions can help to cement a relationship.
We then jump into one of Shannon Jean’s favorite topics: using stories t
Tanglefree Waterfowl Interview
Your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton are traveling this week so we are bringing you one of our favorite episodes from 2017 with the owners of Tanglefree Waterfowl. There’s a lot to learn from this one!
What’s the best way to build your companies brand and create fans that are passionate about your products? Cory Fosket and Doug Butcher took a company focused on a single product line and expanded it over the last 13-years into a trusted brand for waterfowl hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.
Paul Witkay - Alliance of CEOs Founder
One of the most frequently repeated pieces of advice that we give on the show is to get involved with a board of advisors and to connect with other business owners. Connecting with a group of diverse business owners and executives is a powerful way to build relationships and to bring experience to your business that you may be lacking. You’ll gain insight, critique, and knowledge with every meeting.
We have had business owners on the show that have mentioned the impact of just such an advisory
Interview with David Dawson of Instant Print Shoppe
Today on the show, we’re fortunate to have David Dawson with us, owner of The Instant Print Shoppe. David is going to talk all about printing as well as his journey as a small business owner.
Regular listeners of the Small Business Show will know that we are passionate about the customer experience when they receive your product. We recently did a show all about packaging and how big of an impact it has on your customer’s view of your business, product, and service. There are so many opportuni
Techniques for Turning No into Yes
We all know how powerful saying No is. In fact, we’ve done shows where we discuss just that – focusing your power by saying no. But what if you are on the other side of that no? How do you work around being shut down? What techniques can you use to convince someone to change their mind and embrace your idea, your service, or your product?
Stick around for the next half-hour or so to learn how your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton have overcome the NO over and over again.
00:00:00 Small Bu
Outsourcing Success with Curt Zweier of C & C Computer Solutions
We often talk about outsourcing with off-shore companies on the Small Business Show. Back in April, we focused on using outsourcing as a resource for delegating and on last weeks episode, Dave shared some of his frustrations about being impatient and expecting perfection when using outsourcing for a project. Today, we’re fortunate to have Curt Zweier of C3S Software on the show to provide some deeper insight into the world of outsourcing.
Listen in to learn how to avoid the pitfalls of poor co
Listener Questions about Employee Loans and Alternative Finance Sources
Should your Small Business make loans to employees that are in a bind and if so, what policies and procedures do you need to put in place to protect yourself? And creating your own reality is great, but what about the reality of not being able to pay your bills? Join us today for a special listener questions edition of the Small Business Show!
Most Small Business owners have found themselves in the position of being asked for a loan or payroll advance from an employee. When this comes up, shou
Adapting to Small Business Cycles
Every Small Business moves through cycles. From Creation, launch, growth and the grind, are you ready to adapt your skill set to each cycle? On this episode of the Small Business Show, we will explore each of these business cycles and more while we highlight the opportunities and pitfalls of each.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean to learn how they adapted their leadership styles during each different cycle, what they excelled at and what they failed miserably with. Along the way,
Intentional Tension, The last 10% and When People Quit
What is Intentional Tension and how can you use it to achieve more with your Small Business? Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean for this episode of the Small Business Show to hear why introducing Intentional Tension to your company culture can increase productivity and produce higher quality results.
We also discuss why some people feel the urge to quit on the cusp of success. What is it about that last 10% of a project, new business or new product launch that is often so hard to c
Mint Mobile CMO Aron North Interview
As regular listeners know, we recently welcomed Mint Mobile on to the show as a sponsor. What they don’t know is before those sponsor spots started, we met with Mint Mobile’s C
Interview with Garry VonMyhr Co-Founder of Tech Defenders
Join us today as we welcome Garry VonMyhr, Co-Founder of Tech Defenders, Mobile Defenders and Genius iPhone Repair to discuss his journey starting and running multiple businesses in the mobile electronics space.
We all know that mobile devices, phones, laptops, and tablets are critically important in the business and educational markets as well as our personal lives. When these devices stop working, business stops and people panic. Garry VonMyhr has spent t
Teaching Employee Accountability
Mastering accountability for yourself is critically important for the success of your Small Business. Now it’s time to teach the same skills to your employees and contractors to create a culture of accountability that will lead to your inevitable success.
Part 2 in our series on Accountability, today on the Small Business Show your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean focus on how to transfer that awesome accountability you have embraced to your employees. Join us as we discuss why your exampl
Accountability Leads to Small Business Success
Have you found the Small Business Show useful? You can give a little love back to the show by leaving a quick review for us. It has a tremendous impact and could be the most powerful thing you do today. Thanks!
Being focused on accountability is a powerful way to steer yourself and your Small Business towards success. When you are holding yourself accountable, you are in charge of the actions you can take, however small they may be, to adjust, iterate and correct problems that may be holding y
Building Customer Loyalty and Encouraging Repeat Buyers
For Small Businesses, making the sale is only half the battle. How we handle things after the sale is crucial to developing customer loyalty and encouraging repeat buyers.
Today on the Small Business Show, your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton discuss four after-sale situations where you have a chance to impress your customer, build that loyalty and earn their repeat business for life.
We take a deep dive into each of these four after-sale factors:
CommunicationShipping and PackagingRetur
Delivering a Minimally Viable Product
One of the most challenging times when developing a new product or service or when starting a new business is when you are close to being ready to launch. You are at the 80-90% completion point, but you just want to make a few changes, add another feature, run one more test.
This is the point where things can go terribly wrong.
That feature you want to add, that change you want to make, that test you want to run, those things can derail the entire process and stop you from succeeding.
On thi
Rewards Programs, Vetting Potential Partners, and Sexual Harassment
Are you maxing out rewards programs for hotels, airlines and credit card companies for your Small Business? You should be and today on the Small Business Show we share a few examples of why you’re missing out on some big benefits if you ignore these programs.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for another episode of tips, advice, and strategies to help your Small Business. After our discussion of rewards programs, we share a concept of using an independent third party to vet potent
Interview with Christian Owens Co-Founder of Paddle – Small Business Show 230
Continuing with our series on subscription-based businesses, we’ve been fortunate to meet some very smart folks that have started or transitioned to a subscription model for their product or service. This week, we get to learn from a founder that created a business to help others succeed in the software and subscription market.
Paddle was Co-Founded in 2012 by Christian Owens and we’re thrilled to have him with us today to learn about Paddle and his own journey as a Founder.
Join your hosts S
Creating a Habit Stack – Small Business Show 229
Developing positive habits and minimizing negative habits is important for you AND for your employees. By breaking down our larger goals into small tasks and habits, we can shift the focus away from willpower and motivation to small steps, habits that lead us down the path to our ultimate goal of world domination.
“Habits are the underlying driving force of either success or failure—and greatness or mediocrity.”
On this episode of the Small Business Show your hosts
Using a Podcast as a Marketing Tool – Small Business Show 228
Are Podcasts a good marketing tool for your Small Business? Can you connect with your customers on a different level by hosting your own Podcast and if so, how do you get started? Join us today on this episode of the Small Business Show to find out about this topic and more.
Podcasts are increasingly popular. Over 51% of the US population has listened to a Podcast and 31% of the population have listened to a Podcast in the last month. 62 million people listen to Podcasts each week. One of the
Interview with Greg Scown of Smile Software – Small Business Show 227
We constantly talk about maximizing our time on the Small Business Show and how using our time wisely is one of the key aspects of being successful as a Small Business owner. Automating processes and using tools to manage repetitive actions is part of a system to increase your productivity each day.
Today, we get a chance to talk with Greg Scown, Co-Founder of Smile, creators of life-changing and time-saving software applications like PDFpen and TextExpander. You’ll recognize TextExpander as a
Branding and Naming Strategies with Mike Pile of Uppercase Branding – Small Business Show 226
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 co
Positive Influence by Pacing and Leading – Small Business Show 225
Using persuasion techniques when working with customers and your employees can help everyone get the results they want. Specifically, using Pacing and Leading can help you build empathy and create a connection between people that then allows you to achieve a positive outcome.
“Pacing builds trust because people see you as being the same as them. After pacing, a persuader can then lead, and the subject will be comfortable following.” – Scott Adams
Join us today on the Small Business Show to hear
Communicating with Customers and Cross Promoting – Small Business Show 224
Being proactive when communicating with your customers helps to build trust and credibility. What happens when your customers find out about bad news before you tell them? Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for this episode of the Small Business Show to hear a great example of what NOT to do when things go wrong.
Dave shares his experience with poor communication that literally stopped a company from being able to do business in his local area. And of course, Shannon adds to the tal
Focusing Your Subconscious to help you succeed – Small Business Show 223
We all have an inner judge that can help us or hold us back. Our subconscious mind is constantly absorbing information and playing it back to us, sometimes reminding us of our successes, but often replaying our failures and sabotaging our success.
Can we focus the power of our subconscious to help us succeed?
Damn right we can. With some practice and consistent exercises, we can tune our inner judge to constantly propel ourselves towards success, instead of holding us back.
Join us today on
Overcoming and Finding Opportunities in Procrastination – The Small Business Show 222
There’s a procrastinator in all of us. When it comes to Small Business, putting things off can create problems, but it can also create opportunities. Join us today for episode 222 of the Small Business Show to hear how you can overcome this natural tendency and take advantage of the opportunities it creates.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean – two experts at procrastination and how to turn it into an advantage in your Small Business life as we take a deep dive into why we all put t
Interview with Kirk La Sala – Digital Marketing Expert – Small Business Show 221
Marketing your business online, whether on search engines or social media can be challenging. There are so many platforms, where do you focus most of your energy? How do you measure results and what tactics have the biggest impact with a limited marketing budget? Today on the Small Business Show, we’re going to answer those questions and more as we’re joined by Kirk La Sala, digital marketing expert from Tanglefree.
Join us today for an in-depth dive on digital marketing, along with insights fr
Interview with Chris Prefontaine of Smart Real Estate Coach – Small Business Show 220
Continuing our series of shows about Coaching and Mentoring, today we’re joined by Chris Prefontaine, Founder of Smart Real Estate Coach. Chris and his family have been in the Real Estate business for over 25 years and after building 100’s homes and buying and selling over 80 million in properties, Chris decided it was time to share his expertise with others.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton today for this episode of the Small Business Show to hear how a drop in the market caused
Interview with Monica Shah, Founder of Revenue Breakthrough – Small Business Show 219
Starting a business, creating revenue streams and building wealth are topics we discuss on the Small Business Show every week. It can often seem like a daunting task: what to start first, where to focus your energy and how to develop a system based approach to achieve what you want.
Sometimes having a coach provide you with guidance is just what you need. Today, we’re joined by Monica Shah, founder of Revenue Breakthrough, a coaching and training resource that helps their clients breakthrough
Delegating by Outsourcing, Dispute Resolution, and Boomerang Employees – Small Business Show 218
If you’re a Soloprenuer, there’s no one to delegate to. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be delegating tasks outside of your core competency. Join us today for this episode of the Small Business Show as we discuss methods to use outsourcing to delegate so you can win the 10/1000 battle. We discuss outsourcing resources, how to be selective when choosing a contractor and much more.
Your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton then jump into a discussion about dispute resolutions with 50/50 par
Overcoming Adversity – Bryan O’Connell from Meras Water Solutions – Small Business Show 217
Having the fortitude to power through adversity is one of the keys to Small Business success. Every guest we’ve had on the Small Business Show has a story (usually more than one) about how getting through rough times has made them a better business owner.
What strategies work best when things are not going right? How do you keep your focus on other parts of your business when dealing with big problems? Join your hosts, Dave Hamilton, and Shannon Jean, as they welcome back Bryan O’Connell of M
Prioritizing, Delegating and Outsourcing – Small Business Show 216
We had a great response to our last episode and the concept of keeping a To-Did list. Lots of emails, questions, and comments in the Small Business Support Group. A number of comments were made about the importance of tracking what you DIDN’T do – a To-Didn’t list, if you will.
On this episode of the Small Business Show, we will expand on that topic and discuss the importance of prioritizing your own time, delegating when you can and outsourcing when you need to.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean a
What’s on Your To-Did List? Small Business Show 215
On this episode of the Small Business Show, your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss how to build a reward system for volunteers or interns at your Small Business, managing your time and making connections at events and using a twist on the to-do list to see how your day went.
Dave returns from SXSW with stories and tips on connecting with people by creating your own serendipity and going out of your way to meet people, even if it’s just for a brief moment. We discuss the enormou
Remote Small Business Management – Interview with Joseph Stewart – Small Business Show 214
Being the owner of a single small business is challenging in itself. Owning multiple, successful businesses that you remotely manage and eventually selling them is something to be proud of. Today we’re joined by a longtime friend and business colleague, Joseph Stewart, former owner the Mac Outlet in Colorado and Felt Pool and Billiards.
Listen in to this episode of the Small Business Show to find out how Joseph managed both companies from another state and how being a remote business owner for
Interview with Kelan Raph of Optimum Supply Chain
If you’re selling products, logistics is a critical part of the equation and being logistics-smart can mean the difference between making a profit or losing money on a product. Should you be handling your own shipments, using Amazon’s fulfillment services or perhaps a 3rd Party Fulfillment company to get your orders out? We discuss those options and much more on today’s show.
Joining us today to discuss these topics is Kelan Raph, a logistics expert and President of Optimum Supply Chain
Liste
Adding Recurring Revenue to your Small Business
Have you added a recurring income stream to your Small Business? Are you selling subscriptions, service plans or other passive income as part of your business model? Creating a recurring income stream is a powerful way to increase profits as well as creating a more lasting relationship with your customers.
What are some typical recurring income streams?
Service plansSubscriptions – physical products or contentMembershipsAffiliate revenue RetainersOnline CoursesRecurring upgradesDonations
Serv
What is Aspirational Marketing and How Can You Use it in Your Small Business?
We all aspire to greatness. Marketers have used this urge to be a better person, to own the best thing, to achieve the most and to be unique to create iconic brands that we all recognize. Just what is aspirational marketing and is there a way to use to in your Small Business?
Aspirational marketing involves striving in a long-lasting and meaningful way to achieve or become something in particular. This urge for something better or unique is so strong that people will make terrible financial de
Interview with Gilbert Gautereaux of HotelsVillasDirect.com – Small Business Show 210
We often talk about travel being one of the huge benefits of owning a Small Business. Being able to expand your world with travel is certainly a big part of living the Charmed Life of a Small Business owner.
Today, we get a chance to talk with someone who’s been on the other side of that equation, running travel and lifestyle related businesses. Gilbert Gauteraux has started, built and managed several travel and lifestyle businesses including JustLuxe.com and his latest venture, HotelsVillasDi
Adapting to Business Cycles – Small Business Show 209
The only constant in business is change. Every Small Business goes through various cycles in its lifetime and you’ll need to learn to adjust your management style, your activities and your attitude to match whatever cycle your are in. How many cycles will you encounter? It really depends on the type of business you are running, but on this episode of the Small Business Show, we’ll be focusing primarily on 5 different cycles.
Launch – Implementation – ActionGrowthPeakMaturityDecline
Listen and
Attending Conferences and Trade Shows Like a Pro – Small Business Show 208
Chances are, you’ll be attending a Conference or Trade Show related to your Small Business at some point. How do you maximize your time and have the best possible experience from attending a Conference or Trade Show? Join us for episode 208 of the Small Business Show to find out!
Your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have attended, reported on and exhibited at hundreds of Conferences and Trade Shows. From small events with just a few hundred people to the Consumer Electronics Show with hun
Interview with Nick D’Agnillo of Nexus Property Management – Small Business Show episode 207
When starting a Small Business, there’s a few different ways to go. You can start from scratch on your own, work with a partner to create something new, buy an existing business or purchase a franchise.
We’ve talked about the first 3 many times on the show, but not much about buying a franchise, or franchising your own business. Today we’re going to get educated in the franchise business model by Nick D’Agnillo of Nexus Property Management.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean to le
Interview with Nick Zadrozny of One More Cloud – Small Business Show Episode 206
We’re fortunate to discover so many diverse skill sets with all of the Small Business owners we get to meet on the Small Business Show. This week we are joined by Nick Zadrozny, founder and CEO of One More Cloud. We’re excited to have Nick as a guest today so he can educate us about One More Cloud, their products and services and about his Small Business story.
Join us today to hear how Nick and his team created One More Cloud in 2009 to be one of the first companies to offer an Infrastructure
Confidence is a Key Factor in Success – Small Business Show 205
Are you a confident Small Business owner? Has showing that confidence helped build your business? Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton today on episode 205 of the Small Business Show to hear learn how your own confidence can inspire confidence in your employees and your customers – leading to more sales and success!
You’ll hear why “Praising yourself (and your Small Business) daringly” is a proven marketing technique that you should become comfortable using. When you communicate your
Small Business Cashflow, Crisis and Efficiency – Small Business Show 204
Join us this week as your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss resolutions for your Small Business, how being productive is a great motivator to propel you forward and how focusing on efficiency can start your New Year off strong.
We then jump into a discussion of using Debt as a Catalyst to massively positive cash flow. Dave explains this concept while Shannon tries to poke holes in the idea but then gets on board.
The debt discussion leads us to a talk about not knowing wha
Paul Downs author of Boss Life – Revisiting a Favorite. Small Business Show episode 203
This week, while Dave and Shannon enjoying spending time with their family and friends for the Christmas holiday, we revisit one of our favorite episodes with Paul Downs, author of Boss Life and Small Business contributor to the New York Times and Forbes.
This was a very special episode. If you missed it, you’re going to learn a tremendous amount. If you’ve heard it before like we have, listening to it again as we did during our editing is definitely worth your time.
How prepared are you fo
Stop Micromanaging and Start Persuading – Small Business Show 202
If you’re a Small Business owner, chances are you like things to be done a certain way – that may be why you don’t work for someone else, doing things their way. This is a powerful trait that can push you to succeed – but, it can also turn you into a micromanager when it comes to your employees, contractors and partners.
So, how do you avoid being a micromanager while at the same time being sure things are getting done and that people are embracing change and not getting stagnant? Let’s figure i
Interview with Jeff Anderlite of Baja Llama and Ignite360 – Small Business Show 201
Most of us create businesses to support our lifestyle, but there’s some people that live a lifestyle that seems to lend itself to starting businesses. Today we’re going to talk to Jeff Anderlite, a serial business owner that has travelled the world, in what looks like to us, like a pursuit of living a “non-boring” life. Along the way, Jeff has started a hostel in Nicaragua, a Spice company, a clothing brand and naturally, a business to help other businesses succeed. We’re sure you are as eager a
Why Collaboration is the Key to Personal and Small Business Success – Small Business Show 200
Join us today for the 200th episode of the *Award Winning* Small Business Show! We’re thrilled to have been ranked as the #1 Small Business Podcast by Feedspot for 2018 and we couldn’t have done it without our listeners. Your Co-Hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean thank you! Today we are […]
The post Why Collaboration is the Key to Personal and Small Business Success – Small Business Show 200 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.
Interview with Brian Burke Founder of SellYourMac – Small Business Show 199
Technology changes quickly and one of the problems we all deal with is finding a home for your old laptop, phone or tablet when you upgrade. How many of us have an old iPhone in a drawer or MacBook sitting on a shelf somewhere? Today we get a chance to learn more about the business opportunity that this situation creates with our guest Brian Burke, owner of SellYourMac.com
You’ll hear the story about how not getting the job of his dreams pushed Brian into creating the company of his dreams. Join
Small Business Show 198 – From the Archives: Gentleman’s Garage on Turo interview
We hope you are enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends! That’s what Dave and Shannon are doing this week, so we bring you one of our favorite interviews from last year with Gurjit Sing and Kevin Chou from the Gentleman’s Garage, a Turo based Small Business that focuses on renting exotic cars.
Enjoy the show and we will be back with you next week!
Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #198 for Wednesday, November 21, 2018
00:01:22 Small Business Show #141 October 1
Bad Decisions in your Business – How to Avoid and Recover – Small Business Show 197
Let’s face it, not every decision you’ll make for your Small Business is going to be a good one. What can you do to avoid bad decisions in the first place and how can you quickly recover from the ones that slip through? Join us today on episode 197 of the Small Business Show where your hosts share their own bad decisions and tips for minimizing yours!
Bad decisions can hurt your Small Business, kill your cashflow or destroy your reputation. The first step we discuss on today’s show to minimize t
Small Business Tools for Success – Small Business Show 196
From time to time we discuss the tools we use to run our own Small Businesses and why we couldn’t live without them. Join us today for our second installment of Tools for Small Businesses to hear from your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton about their favorite business products.
We start out with a detailed discussion of Trello and how Dave’s team uses it for managing content creation on the MacObserver. while Shannon uses the Kanban style of project management that Trello visualizes to manag
Listener Questions: Domains, Lawsuits and Selling Your Business – Small Business Show 195
We love answering listener questions. Not only does it make us feel much smarter than we actually are, it also allows us to connect with our listeners and help them solve problems. Send your questions to be featured on the Small Business Show!
On this episode, we hear from Louis with a question about setting up his website, selecting a domain name and getting help with both. We then talk about some options for your office software and how to keep older PC hardware running strong with alternative
Embracing Change for Small Business Success – Small Business Show 194
Change is coming for you and your Small Business! How you manage change and how you integrate change into your company culture is an important part of your long term success. Join us today for episode 194 of the Small Business Show as we take a deep dive into welcoming and benefiting from change.
We start the show with a discussion about SCORE Mentoring and your co-host Dave Hamilton’s decision to connect with his local SCORE representatives to discuss changes in his business and how having an a
Small Business Content Creation and Marketing – Small Business Show Episode 193
How important is creating content to share with your existing and potential customers to your Small Business success? And what are some of the keys to being successful with a content marketing plan? Join us today for episode 193 of the Small Business Show to hear how your co-hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton have used relevant and timely content in their businesses to connect with followers, drive new business and keep in touch with their existing customers.
We jump right into what we believe
Interview with Santa Barbara Cider Founder Ben Schroeder – Small Business Show 192
Ever thought of starting a Small Business from your hobby? We often hear about home beer brewers taking the leap and launching a company built around their love of beer, but what about Cider makers? Join us today as we talk with Ben Schroeder, founder of Santa Barbara Cider!
Many of us follow our interests and passion from hobbies to Small Business owner. Ben Schroeder spent 7-years perfecting his different cider flavors in his garage before opening the Santa Barbara Cider taproom with his sis
Managing Conflict with Customers and Partners – Small Business Show 191
What’s the best way to handle conflict when things go wrong with a customer, partner or employee? Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for this episode of the Small Business Show to hear about their experiences in managing, resolving and de-escalating conflicts that will inevitably try to ruin your day.
One of the cornerstones of most conflicts is the misunderstanding of the intention of one or both parties. You’ll learn about methods to be sure your good intentions are interpreted cor
What Type of Leadership Leads to Small Business Success? – Small Business Show 190
Start a business and you become a leader. Not just for employees, but to your customers, suppliers and other partners. What type of leadership style creates the most successful Small Businesses? Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean today to learn about different leadership styles and why you’ll need more than one type for success.
Should you be a constant cheerleader, or a steady, persistent force that your followers count on? We’ll discuss why you’ll need to be both and when it’s appr
Bill Ready Paypal COO Interview, Funds Now and Customer Experience – Small Business Show 189
Getting paid might be the most important task for your Small Business. Processing payments quickly for your customers, avoiding fraud and managing your cash are all critical and daily tasks. Today’s guest on the Small Business Show has a wealth of experience in the payments processing business and is currently the COO of PayPal. Bill Ready joins your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton to talk about PayPal’s new Funds Now service and much more.
Listen in to hear how Small Business is part of Bi
Time Management Tips and Tricks for Small Business Owners – Small Business Show 188
Time is arguably our most important asset as Small Business owners. You can’t create more of it, but you can increase your efficiency and hack how you use time each day to make it work in your favor. Today on episode 188 of the Small Business Show, your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean share their tips and strategies for getting the most out of your 24/7.
The subject of time and the lack of it was brought up by longtime listener Todd McCann of the The Trucker Dump Podcast. Todd has the same
The Business of Coffee: Café Rica Founders Interview – Small Business Show 187
Everyone knows that coffee is an important part of every Small Business startup, right? With 400 million cups enjoyed every-single-day in the United States, this seems like a great opportunity for a Small Business. But, how do you get your voice heard in this crowded market? How do you create a niche where you can build a unique brand focusing on quality coffee and customer experience?
Join us today for this episode of the Small Business Show to meet Tristan and Jackson Bredehoft, founders of Ca
Persistence is Key to Small Business Success – Small Business Show 186
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
How To Manage Your Cashflow – Small Business Show 185
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 impor
Small Business Interview with James Rolin of Cowboy Cricket Farms – Small Business Show 184
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
Moving from Idea to Action – Get Started Today With Your Small Business – Small Business Show 183
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
Loyalty, Losing Key Employees, and Managing Change at your Small Business – Small Business Show 182
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 ab
Interview with Kimanzi Constable: Corporate Consulting and Coaching – Small Business Show 181
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 corp
Are you Focusing on the Right Things for your Small Business? Small Business Show 180 for July 18, 2018
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
Small Business News Roundup for July 2018- Small Business Show episode 179
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
Interview with Winemaker Tony Biagi – Small Business Show 178
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 steppin
Hiring for your Small Business – Small Business Show episode 177
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
Building Trust and Using Referrals to Grow Your Small Business – Bjorn Burnett Interview– Small Business Show 176
As Small Business owners, building and keeping trust with potential and existing customers is critical to our success. Join us today on the Small Business Show for an interview with Bjorn Burnett, a Small Business owner in the insurance and financial planning field.
Bjorn has transitioned to a 2nd career in the insurance and finance field and shares how he came up with a system to add value to clients to gain referrals and then convert those referrals to future clients.
Listen into the show, th
Finding and Keeping Initiative for Your Small Business – Small Business Show 175
Getting started with your Small Business can be challenging. Finding the initiative to power through obstacles is a critically important step on your path towards Small Business world domination. Join us today to hear our tips on startup initiative as well as steps to keep initiative going when you get in a slump and how to keep the fire of initiative lit with your employees’ and partners.
We have talked about creating your own reality and “tricking” your brain to turn it into a machine that wil
How to End a Small Business Partnership – Small Business Show 174
What happens if your Small Business partnership fails? What is the best way to handle ending a partnership to avoid a major battle and to keep your focus on the continued success of your company? Join us today on the Small Business Show to hear how Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton have ended partnerships without destroying friendships, finances and entire businesses.
So, you’re a regular listener to the Small Business Show, followed our advice and created your own reality with a thriving business
Small Business Systems vs. Goals and Complying with GDPR – Small Business Show 173
small business systems and gdpr compliance
Why are systems more important for your Small Business than goals? Join us today for episode 173 of the Small Business Show to learn more about this awesome technique to accelerate your success.
After the systems discussion, we jump into details of the recently enacted GDPR privacy and data management laws enacted by the EU. Does your Small Business need to worry about the GDPR? You’ll want to listen in to find out if you do and how to comply.
Lis
Essential Tools for Small Business Owners – Small Business Show 172
What essential Small Business Tools can you not live without? Join us today on the Small Business Show to hear from Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton about the hardware, software and more they use to make their businesses run smoothly each day.
Check the show notes below for a list of tools we discuss and join us to hear in detail why we believe these are essential for our success.
Chapters/Timestamps
00:00:00 Small Business Show #172 for Wednesday, May 23, 2018
00:01:36 Small Business Support Gro
Forging Small Business Relationships with Vendors and Suppliers – Small Business Show 171
The strength of your relationships with vendors and suppliers is critically important for the success of your Small Business. What’s the best method and when is the right time for you to start these relationships? Join us on episode 171 of the Small Business Show to hear our tips about this topic and more!
Listen in and you’ll hear why timing is important and ways to make a human connection with all your vendors. Learn why Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton believe that a good personality fit is imp
Removing Obstacles to Your Small Business Success – Small Business Show 170
Should you cut corners to speed up starting a new business? If so, what corners can you safely cut that won’t create problems for you in the future? Join us today on the Small Business Show to get our take on what you should cut and what you should not!
We start this episode off with a rant from Dave about unreconciled accounts and leaving cash on your suppliers books (hint: don’t do this). Shannon discusses his experience with business people that didn’t think refunds should actually be, well r
The Power of Saying NO – Small Business Show 169
Longtime listeners know that we believe that saying Yes more can help your personal brand and your business, but is there a point where saying No becomes more important? We think there is, and that part of your own Success Cycle is knowing when to say No and how it impacts your Small Business.
Join us today as Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton share their experiences using No to manage projects and take on just the tasks that will fuel your own achievement system.
We discuss the differences between
Powering Through the Daily Grind of Running Your Small Business – Small Business Show 168
Running your Small Business is not always glamorous and full of inspiration. There’s going to be days (weeks, months) that you have to resign yourself to slogging through the muck, solving what may seem like insurmountable problems, all the while keeping yourself and your team motivated to make it through the day. On this episode of the Small Business Show, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss adversity, sharing their own stories and offering some tips on how to endeavor to persevere.
On a re
Enriching Your Life Beyond Profits With Your Small Business – Small Business Show 167
What’s the secret to living a Charmed Life and using your Small Businesses as fuel to create it? Join us today on the Small Business Show to learn how Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have founded a multitude of Small Businesses over their lifetimes to bring them much more than profits.
We’ve mentioned the Charmed Life on our show many times, in fact, it’s usually a sign-off message at the end of each show, encouraging you to “Keep living that Charmed Life!” It’s such an important part of our expe
How Much Risk is Right for Your Small Business? Episode 166 of the Small Business Show
Is all business risk bad? Searching for “small business risk” online and you’ll find most articles and resources are focused on minimizing or avoiding risk. Listen in to today’s episode of the Small Business Show to hear why we believe that taking risks is part of the “secret sauce” of business success. Without risk, you’re no different than the person working in the cubicle who never starts their business in the first place.
Your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have some strong ideas abou
Setting Customer Expectations and Empowering Employees to Solve Problems – Small Business Show 165
Ever been frustrated when you’re waiting for a service provider to show up or a product to arrive and they/it are late? Today we turn the tables and discuss this problem as it relates to your Small Business performance and the importance of setting, then meeting (ideally exceeding!) your customers expectations. It’s time for episode 165 of the Small Business Show!
Both Dave and Shannon have experiences they want to share with you about not having their expectations met when working with other bu
Small Business Mediation Tips, Tricks and Advice from Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean – Small Business Show 164
When there’s a disagreement with a customer, supplier or someone else, what is the best way to resolve the problem while keeping your Small Business running strong? Have you been sued or are you contemplating suing someone? Join us today on the Small Business Show where we discuss Alternative Dispute Resolution methods like Arbitration and Mediation.
If you are a party to a lawsuit, either plaintiff or defendant, chances are you’ll be pushed into mediation by a judge in an attempt to keep you ou
Small Business Interview with Caitlin Corkill of Paq-Source Packaging and Logistics – Small Business Show #163
If your business includes shipping products, having a strong relationship with a packaging and logistics company is critically important – In our experience, you can “leak” a tremendous amount of your cash out through your packaging and shipping costs.
To talk more about the importance of this topic, we’re thrilled to have Caitlin Corkill with us today. Caitlin is the founder of Paq-Source, a company that provides packaging and equipment, as well as logistics consulting to help you manage your s
Search Engine Strategies for your Small Business – Small Business Show 162
What does it take for your Small Business to rank high on search engines when customers are looking for your products or services? Should you be allocating most of your ad budget to search, or are there better methods for your particular business to connect with customers? Join us on this episode of the Small Business Show for these topics and much more!
Don’t miss the episode where your co-host Shannon Jean admits: “I hate search, it makes me feel stupid.” Hear his story and either laugh at or
Small Business Tax Tips for Filing your Tax Returns – Small Business Show 161
With just about a week to go before tax filings are due for LLC and S-Corp Small Businesses, it’s time to discuss what to do when your NOT ready to file and the repercussions of missing a tax filing deadline. Join us for episode 161 of the Small Business Show as we dive back into the world of Small Business taxes!
On this episode, Dave and Shannon spend time discussing tax extensions, how they work, why you would want to use one and what do in the event that you don’t have the cash to pay your t
Optimizing your Small Business for Near Me Searches – Small Business Show #160
Does your Small Business rank high for “Near Me” searches on Google, Siri and Bing? Join us on this episode of the Small Business Show for tips and tricks to be sure you are optimizing your website, your address and your business map records to steer more customers to your location.
Local search is a critical part of Small Business success. Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean focus on getting your company name to come up when potential customers are using the terms “near me” when searching for a prod
Website Feedback, Simplifying Your Message, Acquisition Deal Sponsors and more: Small Business Show 159
Does your website communicate in ways that potential customers can quickly grasp your story, what your services or your product line are? How do you simplify your message to capture the short attention span and should you rely on your Terms and Conditions to “protect” you from your customers?
If your Small Business is getting interest from a larger company that wants to acquire you, who should you focus your energy on? The Deal Sponsor concept can help you narrow down your focus on which person
Interview with Mihir Shah, CEO of Drobo – Small Business Show 158
Are you ready to be acquired? Is your Small Business in a position to deal with a larger company that is interested in buying you for your products, your technology or your service revenue? Join us today on the Small Business Show to hear from an expert in mergers and acquisitions, Mihir Shah, CEO of Drobo.
Mihir has had years of experience helping companies to analyze possible acquisitions and mergers, working to implement policies and procedures to insure a successful combining of two entities
Interview with Corey Gauteraux from G4 Design House – Small Business Show 157
Need help with your Small Business Online presence? How about branding, marketing, search engine optimization and the overall look and feel of your company website? Listen in to today’s episode of the Small Business Show to hear how Corey Gauteraux of G4 Design House created a company to help Small Businesses prosper online.
G4 Design House was created to leverage the skills of an in-house team of programmers and designers that had been creating websites and doing online marketing for 15+ years.
Attending Conferences, Referred Trust, Pricing Tactics and More– Small Business Show 156
It’s time for a Grab Bag episode of the Small Business Show! Tips and short topics that Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have been waiting for an open episode to share with you. Join us today while we talk about:
Why attending conferences and business events can have a huge positive impact on your Small Business and personal brand.
The power of Referred Trust and being cautious when using your Social Capital with referrals.
Pricing your product and services – is letting your customers set value an
Keeping Your Online Business Legal – Interview with Attorney Richard Chapo – Small Business Show 155
Have an online business? Want to know how to protect yourself against copyright claims, privacy policy litigation and more? Join us today on the Small Business Show as we talk with Richard Chapo, an attorney that specializes in internet businesses, small and large.
Richard has been practicing law for over 24-years with a current specialty in advising businesses and keeping them in compliance within the ever-changing legal system. Listen in and discover the most common mistakes internet businesse
Leveling the Playing Field in Employment with Ladan Davia from Beeya.com – Small Business Show 154
The very essence of business success is all about finding a solution to a problem. When Ladan Davia was searching for employment, she found the process of using online employment websites frustrating and the results less than useful. Like any good Entrepreneur, Ladan founded Beeya.com to make things right.
Recently, Dave and Shannon spoke with Ladan during a pre-sponsorship call for Beeya on the Small Business Show. During the call, they realized that Ladan would make a great guest and asked her
How will the 2018 Tax Reforms Impact Your Small Business? Small Business Show Episode 153
We’re starting a brand new business year with a brand new tax reform act that will impact your Small Business. Get yourself ready by listening in to this episode of the Small Business Show!
On the Small Business Show, we believe that you are a better steward of your money than the government, especially when it comes to investing in your business, your employees and your community. So why not learn the details of the new tax laws and work with your accountant to minimize what you have to send aw
Consulting as a Small Business – What you need to know – Small Business Show 152
Everyone is an expert…at something. Listen to this episode of the Small Business Show for tips about using your expertise to start a consulting Small Business that can help you transition from an employee to an employer.
Listener James B. asks some great questions about starting his technical support consultant business and Dave and Shannon are happy to spend the entire show discussing consulting as a Small Business. You’ll learn about the importance of getting paid immediately for your work and
The Small Business 2017 Year in Review – Small Business Show 151
Join us for our last episode of 2017 where we share Small Business tips from our favorite shows of the past year. Dave and Shannon both have their favorite guests, topics and advice from episodes of the Small Business Show that aired during the year.
We hope you’ve been able to live a Charmed Life during 2017 and we wish you the best for 2018!
Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #151 for Wednesday, December 27, 2017
00:01:34 Lessons learned throughout the year
00:02:04 Jay Gent
First Year Small Business End of Year Checklist – Small Business Show 150
It’s your first year in business and with just a couple of weeks left in the year, what tasks should you be working on? Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean for this episode of the Small Business show that is dedicated to helping new Small Business owners close out their first year of business.
Listen in and learn about making sure you select the right type of entity for your business – should you choose an LLC, S corp or something different? Dave spends some time discussing how Pass-through busi
The Entrepreneur Ethos – Interview with Jarie Bolander and Mihir Shah – Small Business Show 149
Timing plays a critical role in the success of your business. When you launch your products, when you hire new employees, and in the case of Jarie Bolander, when you publish your book. Join us this week on the Small Business Show as we meet Jarie to discuss his new book,The Entrepreneur Ethos along with his good friend, Mihir Shah CEO of Drobo.
Listen in and hear why Jarie felt compelled to create a roadmap for entrepreneurial success by building more ethical, inclusive and resilient companies.
End of Year Small Business Tasks to Complete – Small Business Show 148
It’s that time of year! With just a few weeks left before the end of the year, there are some important tasks to take care of for your Small Business. Join us on episode 148 of the Small Business Show to hear our take on what you should be doing before the New Year starts!
We begin the show by discussing the importance of getting your financials (PL, BS, Cashflow) in order so you can review the data that will guide you in making end-of-year decisions that can impact your profitability, tax liabi
Finding the Best Location for your Small Business – Small Business Show 147
Location, location, location. You’ve heard it before – but there’s much more to picking the right spot for your Small Business than just the location. Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean on this episode of the Small Business Show to hear their experiences and tips for choosing the right place.
Listen and and hear about Retail, Office, Industrial and Flex spaces – what’s the difference and what to watch out for when considering moving your Small Business into one type of property or another. We
Small Business Employee Benefits – Maximize Impact and Minimize Cost – Small Business Show 146
How important are the benefits that you offer to your employees? Are they valued more than cash? And how do you keep your benefit expenses down while maximizing the impact to your employees? Join us on episode 146 of the Small Business Show for all this and more!
Benefits, beyond salaries and wages can have a dramatic impact on your employees and your bottom line. Dave and Shannon spend time today discussing how to best manage the increasing costs of health care and dealing with the impact of th
What to do When Your Small Business gets Sued – Small Business Show 145
Many Small Business owners would agree, it’s not “if” but “when”. Will you have someone file a frivolous lawsuit against your company, or perhaps have a disagreement with a supplier that winds up in court. Or maybe a disgruntled employee feels like they were mistreated and they want to be compensated. No matter how it comes about, lawsuits can be a tricky minefield that can cause you to take your eye off your business.
Join us on episode 145 of the Small Business Show to hear how to avoid gettin
How to Handle Layoffs, Firings and Exits from your Small Business – Small Business Show 144
When the time comes to let an employee go, what are some best practices to keep your Small Business running smoothly during the transition? Should you worry about how it will impact other employees? Are there rules about how you go about firing someone in your state? Should you apologize to the person you are laying off? Join us on this episode of the Small Business Show for answers to these questions and much more!
Your co-hosts have been to the party, they’ve seen this movie before and it’s n
Podcasts as a Small Business – Sponsors and Where to Invest for the Biggest Impact – Small Business Show 143
When is it time to turn a labor of love into a real Small Business? And what pitfalls do you have to watch out for during the process? Dave and Shannon try to answer those questions and more on episode 143 of the Small Business Show!
Join us today as we discuss why we do the Small Business Show and the numbers behind our downloads and subscribers. Information that any potential sponsor of the show would want to know. We also discuss ad rates and how to go about avoiding future conflicts over adv
Tips for Choosing an Online Bank and How to Get Paid on Time – Small Business Show Episode 142
Ever have problems getting paid by your clients in a timely manner? We’ve all been there – that’s why it’s worth joining us today on the Small Business Show for tips and tricks that can improve your cash-flow by getting you paid on-time and in full.
Oh, and there’s also another rant from Shannon about online banking and restrictions – you’ve heard these before, but he’s got a bit of a different take on it this time. Specifically, the inefficiency of banks when it comes to sending wire transfers
Building a Rental Car Small Business on the Turo Platform – Small Business Show 141
Ever dream of driving an exotic sports car? How about having a dozen of them parked in your garage, all being paid for by your rental customers? This week Shannon and Dave meet two entrepreneurs who have built a fast-growing and successful Small Business using the Turo car rental platform. If you’ve ever dreamed of that new Porsche or Jaguar, but couldn’t figure out a way to pay for it, this is the show you don’t want to miss!
Gurjit Singh and Kevin Chou started The Gentleman’s Garage about two
Small Business Contracts and Getting Paid on Time – Small Business Show 140
Ever been surprised by the small print in a contract that you signed for your Small Business? Join us today for episode 140 of the Small Business Show for tips on how to respond when companies try slip egregious terms and conditions into their contracts, how to shut down automatic bank withdrawals by using the Revoke Authorization tactic and much more.
Dave and Shannon then jump into a discussion about setting up clear and concise payment terms to be sure you get paid quickly for your products a
Small Business Phone Systems – PBX, VOIP and Mobile – Small Business Show 139
What’s the best Small Business phone system? Join Dave and Shannon today on episode 139 of the Small Business Show to hear about options ranging from pricey PBX systems, to Voice Over IP services like Phone.com, RingCentral and Grasshopper.
During the discussion, Shannon spends some time pointing out how critical your phone auto-attendant can be when showing your customers what type of company you are. Current and potential clients will quickly learn about your business, based on how they are tr
Mistakes to Avoid and Tips about Small Business Financial Statements – Small Business Show 138
How important is it to understand and review your Small Business Balance Sheet, Profit and Lose Statement and Cash Flow Statement and how often should you be doing it? Join us today on episode 138 of the Small Business Show for our thoughts on these issues and more!
Your financial statements are a window into your business. Failure to understand and review them frequently can lead to some massive headaches (take it from our own experiences!). On today’s show, we discuss where to get help in unde
Small Business Website Names and the Exciting World of Credit Card Merchant Processing – Small Business Show 137
Should you be worried about only using a .COM domain name for your Small Business? How do you deal with coming up with a domain name if your Small Business name is not available as a .COM web address? Join us for episode 137 of the Small Business Show to find out what longtime, serial Small Business owners Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean think about this and much more.
We then jump into a riveting discussion about old-school merchant credit card processing vs. newer solutions from Stripe, Square
Why You Should be Attending Small Business Conferences and Let’s Get Vulnerable – Small Business Show 136
Do you take the time out to attend Small Business conferences and trade shows? Would you like to make some powerful connections, meet some great people and renew your energy? Listen in to episode 136 of the Small Business Show to find out how you can have all this and more!
Shannon just returned from the Paypal cNow conference in Chicago and he’s ready to talk about the people he met and what he learned. The conference included roughly 50 Small Business owners from across the country that got a
Tips for Running Your Small Business from Home – Small Business Show 135
Do you run your Small Business from your home? Are you tempted to wear sweatpants everyday and move your desk close to the refrigerator for convenience? Join us today on the Small Business Show to get some great tips on how to stay motivated and disciplined while working from home.
Long-time home office Small Business owner Dave Hamilton answers questions today as Shannon transitions from going into the office each day (24-years!) to working out of his home. We discuss finding a routine that wor
Small Business Show Interview with Cory Fosket and Doug Butcher of Tanglefree Waterfowl – Small Business Show 134
What’s the best way to build your companies brand and create fans that are passionate about your products? Cory Fosket and Doug Butcher took a company focused on a single product line and expanded it over the last 13-years into a trusted brand for waterfowl hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Along the way, they’ve learned about the importance of quality and how to step outside the business to plan 3-5 years ahead rather than just grinding it out day-after-day. Listen in to this episode of the Smal
Tips for Naming Your Small Business + Listener Questions – Small Business Show 133
What’s the best method for naming your Small Business? Go with your instincts, listen to friends and family or use an online tool? Listen to this episode of the Small Business Show for tips to come up with a great name for your business and avoid some common mistakes with the help from our friends at Entrepreneur magazine. We also discuss the power of Taglines to enhance your Small Business name and just how much effort should you put into that killer logo?
Then we’re on to listener questions wi
Employee, Self-Employed or Entrepreneur – who makes the best partners? Small Business Show 132
Do you know the signs that tell if a person is an Employee, Self-Employed or an Entrepreneur? Join Dave and Shannon for this episode of the Small Business Show to find out!
During today’s episode, we get to spend time dissecting personality types so you can understand who would make a good employee vs. who would make a good business partner. We discuss Do’ers vs delegators and ways to create a Working Agreement to help you find out if you all have what it takes to build a successful partnership.
Being Productive at Conferences, selling on eBay and Motivation vs. Discipline – Small Business Show Episode 131
What’s the best way to find real value in attending Trade Shows, Conferences and Workshops? Do you sit in the back row and head right back to the hotel after the event? You can probably guess what your Small Business Show co-hosts would say about that. Join us for this episode to discuss maximizing your time at these types of events as Shannon discusses attending eBay Open 2017 in Las Vegas a few weeks ago.
During the eBay discussing, we touch on eBay’s dramatic shift during the last 2-years reg
Brittany Alwerud from Handlr Business Management – Small Business Show Episode 130
Could you make the leap from dog walker / poop-picker-upper to creating a software platform for service related Small Businesses? Well, Britt Alwerud did just that, creating the Handlr Business Management suite of tools to help manage your employees or contractors, communicate with customers, generate reports and perhaps most importantly, get paid on time!
Join Dave and Shannon for episode 130 of the Small Business Show and our awesome interview with Britt from Handlr.
During our talk, you’ll he
The Business of Podcasting – Small Business Show Episode 129
Are you making a living with your Podcast? We need to talk. Join us today on the Small Business Show and learn about the business of podcasting. Specifically, what’s happening in the world of Podcast advertising, what are sponsors looking for and how is success being measured.
Dave shares his expertise about how a typical Podcast audience is made up of Intentional Listeners that have made the effort to seek out your content, subscribe and in many cases, download it to their device for future lis
Selling Your Small Business – Interview with Abbi Vakil of U-Socket– Small Business Show 128
What is the most important thing to remember when selling your business? Today on the Small Business Show, we continue our discussion about selling your business with advice from Abbi Vakil, inventor of the U-Socket USB wall plug.
Listen in to hear us discuss cash-flow vs. profits and which is most important and what do to when you’re business is not succeeding OR failing. We touch on one of the tips from ReWork about ignoring your competition, since you don’t know what’s going on inside their b
Thinking of selling your Small Business? Don’t miss this episode of the Small Business Show – SBS 127
What happens when you realize that you’re NOT the best owner for your Small Business? Join us today for episode 127 of the Small Business Show to hear the story from one of your co-hosts that made just such a discovery after 13-years of being at the helm of TechRestore.
Dave and Shannon discuss how finding the “right” buyer is critical to any sale, tips to find that person (or company) and what requirements will you have after the sale is completed. Shannon talks about separating assets to strea
How to keep your Small Business from joining the 50% of companies that fail within 5-years. Small Business Show episode 126
Longtime listeners of the Small Business Show know that we embrace optimism with a passion. However, today we’re talking about failure. Specifically, why Small Businesses fail and how to avoid it.
Dave and Shannon jump right into today’s Small Business Show with a discussion of your ROE, or Return on Energy for projects within your business, or new ideas that may not make you a profit, but can make you a better person and help to increase your energy levels throughout your Revenue Stack. Then, i
Small Business Interview with co-founders of GrowpoVR and GoVRed – Small Business Show episode 125
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are popular buzzwords we read and hear about a lot these days. Much of it sounds like it “will be” great someday, but what about Small Businesses that are in the VR/AR space and creating businesses TODAY? Joining us for episode 125 of the Small Business Show is Chase Dittmer and TJ Dishaw, co-founders of GrowpoVR Studios and GovRed.
GrowpoVR began as an arcade/studio business, offering up VR experiences for consumers. When Chase and TJ noticed lots of Police
Interview with Paul Disselkoen of the Paypal Small Merchant Advisory Board – Small Business Show 124
You know the name, you’ve accepted the payment method. But, did you know that Paypal has a team of people focused solely on Small Business advocacy and public policy? Joining us today on the Small Business Show is Paul Disselkoen, Paypal Public Relations Specialist. Paul is charged with getting the voices of Small Business owners heard by politicians that are setting public policy that impacts Small Businesses throughout the country.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean to learn about
Small Business Show Interview with Ryan Stewman, Founder of HardcoreCloser.com – Small Business Show episode 123
Are you a Closer? On the Small Business Show, we often say that all business owners are in the Customer Service business – but, we’re also in the Sales business. Wether you’re selling a product or service, you’ve got to sell to make your business grow. This week on the Small Business Show, you’ll get to hear the story of Ryan Stewman, Founder of HardcoreCloser.com.
Ryan is an incredibly enthusiastic sales trainer and motivator that has overcome numerous obstacles to create a successful business
Selling Your Small Business and Developing Multiple Revenue Streams – Kyle Baccus of KCTool Revisits – Small Business Show 122
What’s your Exit Strategy? You have one, right? That’s the question a business mentor asked of Kyle Baccus a few years ago that led to the eventual sale of one of his businesses. Today on the Small Business Show, Kyle joins us for a second guest spot to discuss the sale and to spend some time exploring our Revenue Stack concept of developing multiple streams of revenue as part of your path towards world domination.
We get a chance to learn about the three different types of business sales that K
Delegating more in your Small Business, learning to say no and surviving the $15 minimum wage increase – Small Business Show 121
Stop for a moment. Think about your day. Are you doing work that should be delegated to your employees or contract workers? Small Business owner Robert is feeling overwhelmed and looking for tips to save time and increase his profits at the end of each month.
Would you be surprised to hear that your Small Business Show co-hosts have experienced this situation a few times? Dave and Shannon offer Robert some advice about delegating and keeping the phrase “Who is going to do this for me?” in his th
Answers to your Small Business questions – Small Business Show 120
You’ve got questions about your Small Business and we’re here to help! Join Shannon and Dave today on the Small Business Show to hear their thoughts on setting up data sharing for a virtual office and the pros and cons of freelancers vs a business partner that has the skill set you are missing.
If you need to share real-time data with your team that is working from different locations, what’s the best solution? Dropbox? Google Drive? How about a private solution like the Synology CloudStation? Y
Small Business Interview: JobRack Founder Neil Napier on Outsourcing – Small Business Show 119
Have you used outsourced talent for specific tasks in your Small Business? Ever run into quality problems? We thought so.
Neil Napier ran into so many problems outsourcing that he realized there was a business opportunity to minimize headaches and increase the quality of the talent pool and thus, JobRack was born!
Listen in to episode 119 of the Small Business Show and learn about the importance of having systems and procedures in place BEFORE deciding to outsource projects and how to get help i
How to change the conversation when solving customer service problems in your Small Business – Small Business Show 118
It’s as simple as it is powerful. If we were using clickbait headlines, this one would read: This One Tip Will Make Your Customers Love You! But, since we don’t do that stuff on the Small Business Show, join us this week as we dive in deeper to the Two Tokens concept of Customer Service, as so eloquently described by Jean-Louis Gassée in his Monday Note.
Gassée, who has a storied history at Apple and founded Be Computing and the BeOS, uses the United Airlines customer service disaster to shine t
Small Business Interview with David Denning Co-Founder of Jumpanzee – Small Business Show 117
Can you work from anywhere? Is your dream to create a business that can be managed from Thailand, Europe, Florida and anywhere in-between? If so, you need to meet the folks from Jumpanzee. Join us on episode 117 of the Small Business Show!
After spending years working for Ginormous Corp, David Denning and his wife Elle wanted to own a business that would give them the flexibility to live anywhere on Earth for months at a time. Jumpanzee, a branding, design and web management firm, allowed them t
Small Business Interview with Lance Lewsader of Bolt NWA – Small Business Show 116
We’re strong proponents of finding something you love to do and creating a business around it. Lance Lewsader had such a great time getting out of an escape room attraction a couple of years ago that he decided to create his own and Bolt NWA was born!
Bolt NWA is an Escape Room Experience where customers have one hour to find clues, solve puzzles and work together to escape the room. Bolt has three rotating concept rooms, including Locked!, The Vault and Day Dream. Lance and his team have create
Using Video to Promote Your Small Business – Adam Rahn from Droi Media – Small Business Show 115
Are you using video to market your Small Business? What problems does it solve and how about problems it can create? Join us today on the Small Business Show where we meet Adam Rahn of Droi Media to find answers to these questions and learn about Adam’s journey from freelancer to Small Business owner.
Adam shares his surprise at just how many “hats” he is now wearing to get his business up and running and how to manage those non-billable hours that can eat up your time as a Small Business owner.
Small Business Human Resource Interview with Kelly Loudermilk of BuildHR – Small Business Show 114
Have you been trained in Human Resource management? Things like legal hiring practices, at-will employment, harassment policies and employee manual development? We didn’t think so.
HR issues can plague small businesses of all sizes, especially once you hit the magic 50-employee number that activates all kinds of regulations and requirements. You need some help!
Today on the Small Business Show, Dave and Shannon meet and talk to Kelly Loudermilk, founder of BuildHR, a human resource outsourcing a
Developing a Small Business Revenue Stack and being told when you are wrong – Small Business Show 113
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
Small Business Interview with Justin Sisley of Digidern Bookkeeping – Small Business Show 112
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
Dave Launches Apple Market Forum, Partnerships and Embracing Apprehension – Small Business Show 111
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 communi
Small Business Interview with Mike Pile of Uppercase Branding – Small Business Show Episode 110
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 cor
Small Business Interview with Bob LeVitus – Managing Distractions and Being Disciplined for Success – Small Business Show episode 109
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 t
Effective Problem Solving with Your Customers and Suppliers – Small Business Show 108
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” mentalit
Small Business Interview with Sara Beznicki of A Gilded Leaf – Small Business Show 107
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
Evil Multitasking or Powerful Spotlighting to Manage Your Time – Small Business Show 106
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 pus
Planning for failure? Use the Pre-Mortem technique to test your project or business concept– Small Business Show 105
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
Small Business Interview with David Oliva of RD Appliance Service – Small Business Show 104
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 des
Small Business Interview with Jay Gentile of BoosterBots – Small Business Show Episode 103
Jay Gentile has a passion for saving time, his clients as well as his own! What began as a mobile product repair business, led to SEO and web design and finally into application development and the BoosterBots family of marketing apps.
Join us today on the Small Business Show and learn how Jay made the transition from his first two businesses to ultimately creating a company that gives him the reward of helping people succeed along with the freedom and flexibility to lead his own Charmed Life. D
Small Business Interview with Tyler Merritt from Field Harmony – Small Business Show Episode 102
When Tyler Merritt noticed that his good friend was running a growing appliance repair business with no software to track accounting, schedules or workers, he did what good friends do: he offered to help build a customized application for the business.
The guys spent about a year putting together the app and since they figured that most small service businesses had the same problems, they decided to launch Field Harmony to help service companies manage all aspects of their operations. The goal
Managing and Stewarding a 4th Generation Small Business – Rick Stuart from Listo Corp – Small Business Show 101
What’s more difficult? Starting up a new company or taking over and changing the culture of a 4th generation small business? Join us today on the Small Business Show with our guest Rick Stuart from Listo, a company founded in 1921!
How would you handle taking over and managing employees that have known you since you were a kid? What about “updating” the culture of a company almost a century old? Would you rush in and be in a hurry to make changes to take advantage of current market opportunities
Small Business Show Advice and How-to Year in Review – Small Business Show 100
Welcome to the 100th episode of the Small Business Show! As they begin 2017, Dave and Shannon take a look back at some of the highlights from last year in the advice and how-to categories. Your hosts revisit tips and tricks from 8 of their favorite episodes and wrap up the show with a reminder about finding ways for your business to enrich your personal life.
Join us today and then share your story on the Small Business Support Group!
Chapters/Timestamps
00:00:00 Small Business Show #100 Janu
The Best Small Business Owner Interviews of 2016 – Small Business Show 99
As we wrap up 2016 with our last Small Business Show episode of the year, Dave and Shannon take a look back at some of the highlights of their favorite interviews from the past 12-months. Join us today we we revisit some of these moments that stuck with us!
Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #99 December 28, 2016
00:02:06 Year in Review
Interviews
00:03:06 Ep79 – Greg Mercer of JungleScout – Still one of my favorite interviews of the year.
00:08:25 Ep89 – Harald Sinow – Still i
Politics and Your Small Business – Should you mix them? – Small Business Show episode 98
What would happen if a favorite business that you visit often suddenly began introducing political comments in the mix of their marketing or posting political signs in their store. Would you respect their right to do so, even if you disagreed with their politics? Join Dave and Shannon on episode 98 of the Small Business Show as they discuss the pros and cons of mixing politics with your Small Business.
The discussion begins with Shannon discussing one of his favorite, daily news sites that has r
What happens when a small business owner doesn’t solve problems and lets employees down? – Small Business Show 97
As Small Business owners, we have a duty to uphold. That duty, to our employees, partners, suppliers and service providers is to communicate in a timely manner and pay our bills on time, among other things. What happens when we fail at this? Well, that depends on how you handle the situation. Join Dave and Shannon on episode 97 of the Small Business Show to discuss a real world example of how NOT to handle things when they go wrong. We also discuss the impact of employees, suppliers and customer
Do Your Employees Job to Gain Some Valuable Insight – Small Business Show 96
Think you can do it better? The jobs at your company, that is.
Do you remember when you did every job at your business? If it’s been awhile since that time, join us today on the Small Business Show as we discuss how this “job swap” can energize you, allow you to reconnect with employees and provide some valuable insight into what’s really happening behind the scenes each day.
On Episode 96 of the Small Business Show, Dave and Shannon discuss how they have both benefitted over the years when they
Interview with Steve Baines of Forcivity – Small Business Show 95
Join us today on the Small Business Show to listen in on our conversation with Steve Baines, Co-Founder of Forcivity, a software development firm focused on simplifying how you access your data in cloud based applications like SalesForce. Steve’s years of experience working with data as both a consultant and previous business owner led him to launch Forcivity with a group of like minded folks that have a mission to free your data from apps and present it to you in a much more useable format.
Ste
Find Success Working With Your Spouse in your Small Business – Small Business Show Episode 94
One of the most trusted people in your life can be a huge help with your Small Business success – your spouse! But, there’s some important details to work out to insure success when working together.
In this episode of the Small Business Show, Dave and Shannon share their experiences working with their spouses and their tips for maximizing the benefits while minimizing potential problems that may come up. A critical first step: manage expecations, roles and clearly lay out who will be responsibl
Fighting Complacency and Regaining your Small Business Edge – Small Business Show 93
Has your Small Business lost it’s edge? Has your past success enabled people to slow down the pace of work? How do you beat back complacency and invigorate your team to take on new challenges and grow your Small Business? Maybe hiring a consultant will do the trick – someone to evaluate your team from the outside and offer an unbiased opinion and tips to shake things up.
Should you encourage your employees to go out and “side-hustle” to make some extra cash and learn a new skill? We like this id
Social Media Small Business Success, Finding Suppliers and Delighting Your Customers – Small Business Show Episode 92
Welcome to episode 92 of the Small Business Show! On today’s show, we spend some time getting updated on Shannon’s social media business experiment that he started back in June. The goal was to start a new business solely using social media and selling apps on an iPhone. No computer and no website.
So, how’s it going? Listen in for more detail, but a quick snapshot looks like this:
28,0000+ followers gained since starting mid-June
Selling 3-10 designer handbags (the product chosen to experiment
Using Google Trends for your Small Business Content and easier ways to Get Things Done – Small Business Show 91
How do you find topics for your Small Business blog and social media posts? Would you like to be able to tie in your content with what people are already searching for online? Sounds pretty cool, but maybe expensive? Yes, and no. It is cool and it’s free! Dave and Shannon get the Small Business Show started today with a discussion about Google Trends and how using timely search data can not only help you come up with ideas for your content strategy, but also make those posts more successful by i
Prioritizing Family and Keeping a Positive Outlook as a Small Business Owner – Small Business Show episode 90
You’ve heard us talk about the flexibility vs. freedom of being a Small Business owner many times on the Small Business Show. But what if you actually did have the freedom? Freedom as in “I just sold my business, and now what?” kind of freedom? Our guest last week, Harald Sinow talked about taking a year off (that’s t-w-e-l-v-e full months, folks) to reconnect with his family and take them on an unscripted tour of Europe. Dave and Shannon take that concept and run with it on this episode of the
Transitioning from Worker to Teacher – Small Business Interview with Harald Sinow of MacStation and Creo Development : SBS 89
How easy was it for you to make the transition from doing the day-to-day work in your Small Business to teaching others to do it so you could focus on the business? Harald Sinow, co-founder of MacStation in Vancouver, realized that he needed to change his focus from being the best worker to being the best teacher if he wanted to grow his business.
Join us today on the Small Business Show to learn how Harald focused on this transition as well as cash flow and hiring to insure his business would s
Empowering Employees and Effective Customer Communication – Small Business Show Episode 88
Are you involved in every decision that your employees make? Would you like to grow your business, decrease headaches and free up some much needed time? We thought so. Today on the Small Business Show, Dave and Shannon discuss how “not to be in charge” all the time and empowering your employees to make the right decisions.
Dave shares some stories about being so concerned about communicating with customers that he would write the email responses and give them to his employees to send out. Dave n
Building a Facebook Small Business Group – Small Business Show episode 87
On this episode of the Small Business Show, Dave and Shannon talk about the development of the Small Business Facebook Group, what went wrong at the beginning and what is going right with the Group after making some (much needed!) changes. We discuss how Small Business owners are using the new group to get critical feedback on their websites and apps, how a political discussion really can be productive while taking into account different viewpoints and much more. You’ll want to be sure to join t
Politics vs. Bureaucracy and how both impact your Small Business – Small Business Show 86
As we all enjoy the Political Theatre that is our current Presidential Election, Dave and Shannon decide to focus this week’s topic on Politics and how it can (and will) impact your Small Business.
Join us as we discuss Dave’s “crazy theory of politics”, looking at the “why” instead of just the “who” when hearing a political message and how to deal with National vs. State and Local politics that might be messing with your Small Business. Of course, no Small Business political discussing would b
Turning Small Business Mistakes Into Profitable Opportunities – SBS 85
As Small Business owners, when posting to public social media, what are some things you should look out for? What comments could come back (maybe years later) to cause you headaches, legal problems and money? Dave and Shannon discuss some examples of what NOT to post on social media and that leads into a discussion about Mistakes as Opportunities.
When a supplier makes a mistake, Shannon explains, there’s an opportunity to leverage that mistake into a closer relationship (if you want one), a b
Boss Life Author Follow-up, the benefits of being unemployable
Welcome to episode 84 of the Small Business Show! Join us this week as we spend some time following up with our recent interview with Small Business owner, NYTimes.com blogger and author, Paul Downs.
Dave and Shannon then jump into a discussion about being “patently unemployable” and how identifying yourself as such can give a boost to the successful launch of your Small Business.
Other topics covered on the show today include the tremendous benefit of creating a safe environment for your employ
Paul Downs, author of Boss Life and NYT Small Business Blogger Interview – SBS 83
How prepared are you for the challenges of running your small business? What energizes you to make it through tough times and just how transparent are you (and should you be) to your employees and everyone else that you discuss your business with? If you felt like your business was about to shut down, could you imagine reaching out to the New York Times with an offer to share the experience with thousands of people? Paul Downs thought it would make for a good story and he wrote for the NYTimes.
Adjusting Your Sleep Schedule, Recognizing Your Expertise and Planned Obsolescence – Small Business Show 82
As Small Business owners, we’re always hustling and sleep can often be a casualty of the “up late, up early” workflow. What do you do when your brain just won’t shut down long enough to get some much needed sleep? Listener Elias asks Dave and Shannon for advice about disconnecting enough to fall asleep. Their suggestion might surprise you!
You’re an expert in some things and probably need help in other areas. We spend some time discussing why you should create an Expertise List to identify what
Staying Healthy While Running Your Small Business – Small Business Show Episode 81
How to you stay healthy and keep your energy level up while you are hustling to make your Small Business a success? Join Dave and Shannon for episode 81 of the Small Business Show to hear about how these two have managed while starting and growing multiple small businesses.
Before we jump into health and energy, we start the show with a quick discussion of encryption and why it’s so important for your Small Business website. Dave discusses a new free option, Let’s Encrypt, that allows you to set
Failure, Success, a Business in Your Pocket and New Books! Small Business Show episode 80
Join us today for episode 80 of the Small Business Show where we spend some time discussing our recent interview with Greg Mercer of JungleScout! Dave and Shannon both agree that Greg is a “career escape artist” and has created a unique business to take advantage of missing data and support in the Amazon FBA marketplace.
We also talk about the difference between failing often as a Small Business Owner (which we encourage) vs. being flakey (which we don’t). One way to insure your failures are lea
Escaping Employment – Small Business Interview with Greg Mercer of JungleScout
Today on the Small Business show we are joined by Greg Mercer of JungleScout! Greg shares his story of “escaping employment” to become a small business owner, first by selling wholesale products on Amazon, then developing private labeled goods to distinguish his company with quality products and customer service.
Along the way, Greg realized that he could really use some software that would help him figure out what products to sell on Amazon by tracking demand, sell-through and other data. Since
Small Business Rock Stars, Wish Lists and Making Your Own Reality – SBS 78
Join us for this week’s edition of the Small Business Show! Dave and Shannon spend some time going over their interview with Tim Cote of Commonwealth Foreign Exchange from the last episode and then quickly jump into some of their core beliefs about how to succeed with your Small Business:
Convince yourself (lie if you have to!) that you are a rock star, that every small success you have will build a foundation for larger successes down the road
Make your own movie: So what if reality tells you o
Small Business Show Interview: Tim Cote from Commonwealth Foreign Exchange
How many business ideas have come from a group of people sitting around over a few beers? Must be thousands, maybe millions, right? But when you look beyond the idea stage and see how many of those folks actually executed on one of those ideas, the numbers drop exponentially. This week on the Small Business Show, we get to spend time with one of those guys that has executed and built a wildly successful business. Listen in and learn how Tim Cote took Commonwealth Foreign Exchange from an idea ov
Community Banks, Social Media Small Business and Finding Suppliers – SBS 76
Welcome to episode 76 of the Small Business Show!
This week, Dave is back from Europe and shares some time saving strategies that are good for travel as well as in your daily business. We then get an update from Shannon about his social media business experiment (spoiler alert: it’s working!) and we spend a few minutes sharing Scott from DC’s experience with community banks and why he feels they are a good fit for cash businesses. Want to share a story, ask a question or offer a critique? You ca
Starting a new Small Business using Social Media – SBS 75
On this week’s episode of the Small Business Show, one of our hosts is starting a new business. But, there’s a twist! They have vowed to do things completely different than they have in the past by focusing solely on social media for promotion and to sell their products only using apps on their phone. Listen in and then stay tuned to find out if this experiment will be a profitable one, or just a learning experience!
We also dive into a Small Business Study that surveyed thousands of Small Busin
Managing Customer Expectations for your Small Business – SBS 74
It’s time for a Rant! Specifically, Small Business Show co-host Shannon Jean has had it with a new bank that does a poor job of managing customer expectations. After Dave calms Shannon down, we dig deeper into ways to manage your customers expectations so you can be a hero to your clients as well as your employees.
The discussion leads us into the dreaded Terms and Conditions document and how to not rely on it too much when trying to make your customers happy. We wrap up the show with a crucial
Remind Yourself of your Successes – Small Business Show 73
How often are you getting patted on the back as a Small Business owner? Not enough, we know. On episode 73 of the Small Business Show, Dave and Shannon discuss developing a “Success List” that you can refer to when things get tough (because they always do), to remind yourself of just how awesome you actually are. By measuring your success in small steps, you’ll achieve larger victories that much faster.
We also spend a few minutes talking our recent Vaya Island interview from our previous show,
Authenticity and Small Business Success with John Moran from Vaya Island – SBS 72
Live Easy with John Moran of Vaya Island
What’s your small business story? Do you promote your geographic location as a strength? Do you promote your authenticity? How do you find the influencers to help you grow your Instagram presence? Join us for episode 72 of the Small Business Show to find the answers to these questions and more!
John Moran from Vaya Island joins us this week for the Small Business Show to discuss how he has created a successful business and a huge social media following in
Small Business Technology – Hardware and Software For your Small Business – SBS 71
What technology products and services does your Small Business need to succeed? Computers, phones, software and more – essential tools for starting and running your business. Join Dave and Shannon on episode 71 of the Small Business Show to learn more!
For the first time, both of your hosts are on the West Coast, recording the Small Business Show together! We leave Skype behind for this show and jump right into a discussion about what technology we use to run our various businesses. We start th
The Impact of Change on You and Your Small Business – SBS 70
This is NOT how to handle change in your Small Business!
Welcome to Episode 70 of the Small Business Show!
This week we do a quick follow up on Facebook advertising with comments from Dave about ads for the Gig Gab podcast and their interview with Jan Hammer. You’ll hear about some inexpensive ways to get started with Facebook ads and how to keep tweaking your ads as you start to see results.
We then jump into this week’s primary topic: Change and how to make it work for you. Shannon spends some
Part 2 of the Small Business IRS Show – SBS 69
Join us this week for episode 69 of the Small Business Show!
Dave and Shannon talk about Dave’s new business venture and then they jump right into part 2 of their series of tips about managing the tricky relationship that your business has with the IRS. Things like the importance of putting a human element into the relationship, getting advice BEFORE you need advice and more insight into how to turn a potential problem into just one more challenge that you will power through.
If you do have the
The IRS Show – How you and your business should interact with the IRS – SBS 68
This week on the Small Business Show, we start off by revisiting the concept of not setting financial goals for your business, but rather, developing systems that you can continually achieve success with and adjust for mistakes over time. Dave and Shannon have been using this concept for years, but it took Scott Adams book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big to lay it out in detail. Scott’s book is a must read.
Longtime listener Dan T. sent in a question which led us into the ma
Salaried vs Hourly Employees, Facebook ads and more! – SBS 67
Do you compartmentalize your business? How do you keep things in perspective when solving problems? We discuss the importance of AMF (always moving forward!) when tackling problems with your small business as well as setting up triggers to help keep you accountable.
We then move into a discussion of the new Federal Overtime rules that hike the hourly threshold from $23,660 to $47,476. How will this impact your managers and supervisors that are salaried? Will you adjust pay rates to cover additio
Small Business Highs and Lows. Overcoming Adversity and Powering Through Problems – SBS 66
Does everything always go right with your small business? We didn’t think so. Dave and Shannon have had a bad week and no amount of their patented optimistic self-delusion will get them through without spending some time on the Small Business Show sharing their stories and talking through ways to keep yourself and your team motivated when times are tough.
Shannon talks about the risks of being overly optimistic and what to do when donuts just aren’t enough to get smiles back on your employees fa
Small Business Planning for the Worst and Scott Adams Book – SBS 65
What happens to your well thought-out Small Business plans if you become incapacitated? Who steps in to handle the myriad of details that you take care of each day. Dave and Shannon have discussed the more formal ways to setup a succession plan, such as disability insurance and Key Man policies, but what about the equally important, but informal information that you may have stuck in your head? We talk about how we setup “bread crumb” trails to help whoever may have to step in to take over our r
Crazy Ideas vs. Managing Your Time and Naysayers – SBS 64
Ever have a crazy idea? Of course you have. Exploring those ideas can be the thing that leads to the next business opportunity. And that next business opportunity might eventually be the thing that puts food on your table. You need to pay attention to those crazy ideas, but you also need to learn how to make sure you don’t just spend your time chasing all the ideas. Shannon and Dave have experience with both sides of this and today’s the day they talk about it. Dave even throws in a new crazy id
Managing the Growth of your Business with Bryan O’Connell of Meras Engineering – SBS 63
Any growth for your small business is good and the faster the better, right? Bryan O’Connell, co-founder of Meras Engineering would disagree! Bryan joins us today on the Small Business Show to talk about managing growth, choosing business partners, finding an advisory group that holds you accountable and more. We also discuss the value of an MBA degree, creating a customer obsessed culture and when to make yourself slow down so you can think. Great show today with some valuable insight and advic
Optimizing your Small Business & Your Time: Kelan Raph of Grand Canal Solutions – SBS 62
Kelan Raph has built a career helping people get their products from point A to point B. With his current venture, Grand Canal Solutions, he and his team have developed Optimize, a service that automatically identifies enhancements and optimizations to your product shipments, warehousing and more. Kelan talks to Shannon and Dave about blending partnerships with opportunities, his marketing experiments, how best to manage interruptions and much MUCH more! Kelan is a big fan of business books, and
When and How to Sell Your Small Business – Seapoint Business Advisors – SBS 61
Ever thought about selling your business? We thought so! Bob Grewal of Seapoint Business Advisors sells businesses for a living, and he deals with all kinds of issues you haven’t even considered yet. Recasting financials, dealing with your employees, reducing the perception of risk and distributing revenue are all things you’ll have to deal with and Bob provides some great perspective on all of that and more! Listen today and learn how the process might work, along with some of Bob’s favorite s
Small Business Middleman – thriving in the internet age? – SBS 60
In 1995 it was predicted that the Internet would kill “the middleman.” Here we are a couple decades later and not only are middlemen still in business, they’re the norm. In fact, as Dave and Shannon discover, everyone is a middleman, even if only for themslves, and that’s OK. Add in a dash about the Gig Economy and a sideline tangent about what the world might be like without vehicle ownership and you’ve got yourself a perfectly-crafted episode of the Small Business Show!
Stuff mentioned:
In De
Would a $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage Impact Your Small Business? – SBS 59
Shannon and Dave put on their kevlar vests – and tinfoil hats – and tackle the topic of a rising minimum wage as it relates to small business. Do you hire entry level employees or summer workers? Who will benefit from this? Who will get special exemptions with the government? How will it work? These are the questions Shannon and Dave ask… and they’re brave (foolish?) enough to answer them, too. Listen to what your two favorite business geeks have to say and then send in comments of your own!
Stu
Jason Snell from Six Colors: From Magazine Editor to Small Business Publisher– SBS 58
Long-time technology journalist Jason Snell spent 17 years writing, editing and managing teams at Macworld magazine before leaving that behind to start his own small business publishing company, SixColors.com. Along the way, Jason also created and managed various Podcasts like The Incomparable, TV Talk Machine, and Upgrade. Jason joins Shannon and Dave to talk about the experience of moving from manager to business owner, and shares some of his favorite stories along the way.
This week’s Small B
Using Slack to manage your Small Business Team and More – SBS 57
Shannon and Dave have both run virtual (or semi-virtual) companies for decades and have used all manner of electronic communication tools to keep their various teams in sync. These days they both make use of Slack (among other tools) to organize their lives and make teams feel like teams. Hear them talk about all the tools they use and why “eliminating email” is only one reason you might want to use Slack… there are others, too!
Slack articles worth reading:
Small Business Trends: What is Slack
Paul Goodman & PuraVida Bracelets Execution on an Idea – SBS 56
Ever sit on the beach and have a great idea? Paul Goodman and his business partner did, bought 400 bracelets from cart vendors, traveled home and PuraVida bracelets was born! They sold their first batch, ordered more, started and now they sell 50-100 thousand bracelets each week. Paul tells Shannon and Dave about all kinds of things … including the first public announcement of new products (and they’re not bracelets!).
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Small Business Customer Reviews – Managing the positive and negative – SBS 55
Episode 55 means it’s a perfect time to discuss what your two favorite business geeks have learned from watching Sammy Hagar over the years. You might be surprised to hear the revelations that Shannon and Dave have. Then it’s on to reviews. Every business gets reviews, even those that don’t think they do (someday Dave will learn that every episode matters!). Learn from Shannon and Dave their techniques for how to deal with negative reviews… and also how NOT to deal with them!
Stuff mentioned:
S
Dave and Shannon Interview Each Other – Small Business Show 54
Your two favorite business geeks are about to celebrate their one year anniversary of podcasting together and to celebrate … they interview each other. Hear Dave and Shannon ask one another about their starts, their stops, their transitions and more!
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Small Business and your personal privacy, how to set prices and more – SBS 53
It’s mailbag day today! Shannon and Dave answer two of your questions this week, the first is about crafting your public persona. No one is better equipped to represent your business than you are, and that means you have to get comfortable putting yourself out there, too. But you don’t have to put everything online — Shannon and Dave talk through how to build that filter and use it. The second question is about pricing your business’s products or services, and that leads to an interesting discus
Grow Your Small Business, Executive Summaries and the Beer Test! – SBS 52
Today’s small business show takes us through some of the bigger-picture stuff you can do to grow your small business. What would it take to grow your business to be ten times its size? What would you change if you were running your business like you intended to sell it? If you had to write an executive summary about your business, what would you say? We also spend some time talking about your board of advisors and why the Beer Test matters.
Listen as Shannon and Dave discuss these questions and
How Small Business Competes for Employees with Well Funded Startups – SBS 51
Shannon and Dave talk about the impact that small business owners feel when competing for employees with new, well-funded startups (aka those that can hire people their cash flow doesn’t afford!). Shannon found a great article about how on-demand businesses have created a new era of entrepreneurship — and how attractive that is to employees that want to break out of the 9-to-5 workweek. Listen to what your two favorite business geeks have to say!
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Luxury Small Business Success Story: Justluxe.com – SBS 50
Rob Gautereaux started JustLuxe.com in 2004 as a site with product articles and classified ads. Within 2 years he realized there was better value to the JustLuxe readers – and JustLuxe themselves – if they were a true publication business. Since then JustLuxe has grown significantly by creating their own great content and partnering with The RGM Group to help them monetize. Rob talks about many things including identifying the right opportunities and, more importantly, walking through the door w
Naming Your Business and Credit Card Rewards – Small Business Show 49
Shannon and Dave dig in today, talking about naming your business (and theirs!) as well as reward credit cards. How do you go about picking a good name for a business and what message does it send to your customers? Your favorite business geeks are also rewards credit card geeks that love earning points and perks by using their credits cards for their businesses. They dissect an article Dave found and share their favorite tips and tricks for using their favorite rewards cards.
Stuff Mentioned:
The Small Business Cash Flow Show – SBS 48
Cash is king. You hear it all the time, but have you ever sat down and thought about what it means for your small business? Your two favorite business geeks have and they share their thoughts about how to manage – and even get – cash the right way. Profits are great, but cash is king. Listen now to hear why!
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Motivating and Pleasing Your Employees – SBS 47
While cash might be king, your employees are queen… and this is one of those cases where the queen needs to win. Shannon and Dave talk about what it takes to not only motivate your employees, but also to keep your team happy. Starting with a discussion about salespeople, the value of quotas is challenged… and other ideas are thrown into the mix, as well. Listen as your two favorite business geeks wrap up their year for you this way.
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Small Business Tips from 5 Happiness Webmaster – SBS 46
Bruce Linde is the quintessential service provider, always looking to do whatever he can to support his clients. In fact, he even considers the websites he builds for his clients to serve them after he’s finished; the goal being to have the site “turn interest into a client.” Bruce wryly shares the many stories and lessons he’s learned, including telling us why he believes “mistakes are my education.” Listen today to hear it all
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Small Business Marketing Stories – Part 2 – Small Business Show 45
This week on the Small Business Show, we continue the discussion about small business marketing with Shannon and Dave talking about the value of marketing via social media as well as offline marketing. Strategies for authenticity are the core, including specific discussions about Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, offline marketing and more!
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Small Business Marketing – Our Stories. Part 1 – SBS 44
Shannon and Dave share their own thoughts about marketing as it relates to their businesses. In Part 1 of the Small Business Marketing show, advertising is a focus with discussions about pay per click, display ads, podcasts and reviews. What marketing methods have worked for you? Share your story with us in the comments below or feedback@businessshow.co
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Kickstarter, the Value of Ideas and Taxes – Small Business Show Episode 43
Ever had a million-dollar idea? Shannon and Dave discuss what that actually means and the realities behind bringing an idea to fruition. Kickstarter is a big part of that discussion, from both good and bad angles. But first, your two business geeks share a little tax talk about what you should be doing now to be sure you’re ready for the New Year’s ball to drop!
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Small Business end of year tasks and opportunities – SBS 42
With just a few weeks left before the calendar ticks over to 2016, it’s time to start thinking about a few things: what to do for your employees? What do do for your customers? What to do for yourself? Taxes, health insurance, gifts, bonuses and more are the seeds for today’s topics. Listen to your two favorite business geeks discuss these things and get your questions in before time runs out: feedback@businessshow.co is the best way to reach Shannon and Dave. We’d be happy to hear from you!
Th
Losing Employees, Confidential Information and Moral – SBS 41
Shannon and Dave dig into the mailbag today to answer a trio of questions from folks dealing with departing employees. Various reasons and scenarios led to the departures, and those each play a huge part in the advice and thoughts shared by your two favorite business geeks. On top of that, Dave spends a little time at the beginning of the show discussing the value of time pressure: sometimes you’re more productive when you have less time to complete your work. Send your thoughts in anytime to f
A decade of small business experiences with Mick’s Macs – SBS 40
Mick Guinn started Mick’s Macs ten years ago and has learned a lot about being a small business owner during that time. He has always made sure to keep a focus on what his employees actually need, being careful not to project his own desires onto others. He also shares some advice on how to foster a healthy business relationship with your team while still allowing an appropriate and healthy personal distance.
A favorite quote, “It was such an interesting disaster to learn from!” But don’t worry
Small Business Legal – David Sparks advises and starts businesses
David Sparks, long time attorney and long-time geek left the practice he had been with for decades to branch out on his own. Using his geek skills to build the foundation for his nascent practice’s infrastructure, David is able to better service his clients and carve out that valuable time to spend with family and on other projects. “I knew I wanted to go out on my own, but I was terrified of admitting to myself that I wanted to do it.”
Listen to David talk small business legal startup tactics w
Home Automation as a Business with My Auto Home
Juan Collao from My Auto Home discusses home automation as a business. His company helps customers dissect and decipher the best way to automate their specific homes, right down to which light switch to use. Juan’s business is new and he’s already a very astute businessperson. Some great insights in this episode – well worth a listen for business owners at every stage!
Highlighted quotes (listen for even more!):
When considering giving up your employee status, “What you have here is someone put
Outside Advice for your Small Business and Social Media Tips
Shannon and Dave talk through the benefits of having someone unrelated to your business act as a sounding board. Almost like creating your own, mini Board of Directors, it’s valuable to have a trusted confidant or two who can give you honest advice, even if it’s from outside your business, looking in. Then it’s on to social media. Dave and Shannon discuss the merits of being yourself, what not to post and the value of paid Facebook promotions.
The post Outside Advice for your Small Business and
Small Business Management Tips from Marilyn Weinstein, Vivo CEO
Marilyn Weinstein, founder and CEO of Vivo, says “When you’re the owner, you don’t have the confidence that somebody else’s money gives you.” One trick is building a small business management team so that you’re the “other person” with the money, and delegating those decisions to someone else. Having a partner can mitigate that from day one, so long as you start your partnership correctly. Listen to Marilyn’s lessons and anecdotes on all of this … and more!
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Business advice from Brian Friss of Digistor on the Small Business Show
Brian Friss joins us today on the Small Business Show. Brian co-founded DIGISTOR back in 2001 and one of the first things he did was to throw away the business plan he had. Instead he followed and guided his business through an evolution reflective of his marketplace, even changing his core products as necessary throughout time. Still, a chunk of business relies on optical storage, a product that has been “obsolete for seven years.” He is proof that serving a niche can be very profitable, but yo
KC Tool Business Interview – Finding your niche and being number one.
Kyle Baccus, founder of KC Tool, America’s number one German tool distributor joins Shannon and Dave on the podcast today to talk about how he started his business. He talks through a number of things he’s learned, including how it pays off to be thoughtful before you start, considering how being in a small niche and having the best products can lead you down the path of becoming number one.
Stuff mentioned:
Rich Dad Poor Dad
The post KC Tool Business Interview – Finding your niche and being n
Marketplaces Require More Management Than Your Own Store
A good chunk of Shannon’s business revolves around selling in various marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. As such, he’s learned a few tricks over the years that can help anyone selling in these marketplaces, large and small. Learn why it might be good to diversify your public brand in each marketplace; learn why it’s good to get started right away (even before you’re ready); and learn to think like an algorithm, because algorithms control your destiny!
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Doug Sassaman of RepriceIt Talks Business … and Life
Doug Sassaman of RepriceIt.com joins Shannon and Dave today to talk about how solving his own problem of repricing the items he was selling on Amazon led to quitting his day job and solving the same problem for others. Doug talks a lot about maintaining the work/life balance and ensuring he always reaps the benefits of flexibility associated with being an entrepreneur. Dave and Shannon learned some valuable lessons from Doug, and you will, too!
The post Doug Sassaman of RepriceIt Talks Business
“My Life Is Tax Deductible” & Other Intangible Benefits of Running a Small Business
Shannon and Dave intentionally run with no agenda today and the result is them discussing the intangible benefits of running a small business. Some of the best benefits don’t appear on your profit and loss statement, at least not in an obvious way. Opportunities like travel, attending special events, writing off the purchase of your next iPhone and more are some of your hosts favorites, many of which are actually quite tangible! Listen today to learn about these and more.
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Shopping Carts & Insurance
What small business shopping cart is right for you? What type of business insurance do you need? Learn this and more on the Small Business Show today. Plus Shannon Jean & Dave Hamilton, your two small business advisors & hosts, talk about their most productive times of the day.
Stuff mentioned:
Squarespace
Weebly
Tim Cox from ZingPR
X-Cart
OpenCart
Minimum Viable Product
Sunk Costs
Inland Marine Insurance
SBA – Insurance
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Tim Cox from ZingPR – Helping Everyone Find Their Voice
Tim Cox from ZingPR joins Shannon and Dave today to talk about what it’s like to tell other people’s stories while still making sure to tell his own. That, plus what it’s like taking over a business from one’s spouse! All of this and more in today’s Small Business Show!
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Disaster Strikes! What Do You Do?
Every business will encounter “disaster” scenarios. The real question is about how you, the business owner, handles them? Shannon and Dave have been through them and talk through some of their favorites, using war stories as a basis for sharing the lessons they’ve learned. Communication is the key to solving problems… and about learning to solve them!
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Choosing The Right Accounting Software
Listener Stephan asks which accounting package is right. Shannon and Dave talk about why double-entry accounting isn’t scary (and explain what it is!), and discuss Account Edge, QuickBooks, Freshbooks and more for you.
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Contracts are a Fickle, Necessary Beast
Formal agreements are helpful in that they allow you to document your ideas, goals and parameters at a moment in time. What gets interesting is when one of the parties either interprets it differently from the others or wants to change it entirely. This can be a good time for everyone involved to reflect upon the agreement and redraw it… or it can be a way to lose focus on what you’re actually doing together. Listen to Shannon help Dave through a real-world example of this in today’s show.
The p
Pricing: When The Customer Is Rarely Right – Small Business Show 25
Shannon and Dave let loose on their favorite pricing secrets, and then let loose on customers who don’t want to follow them (except they really do!). You might agree or disagree with what your two favorite business geeks have to say, but you’ll definitely want to listen!
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Business Banking with Paul Knowlton – Small Business Show 24
Business banker Paul Knowlton joins Shannon and Dave today to talk business banking, including how relationship transparency is important… as well as the Beer Test. Learn why it’s important to create a paper trail for your business early on, and learn how to be realistic when heading in to talk to your banker!
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The Delegation Episode – Small Business Show 23
Delegation is probably the most important thing you need to do in order to grow your business. Problem is, it doesn’t come naturally to most anyone who has what it takes to start a business. With that in mind, Shannon and Dave talk through their experiences (successes … and failures!) with delegation, and Shannon explains just how important it is to create an org chart.
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Embracing Change and Balancing Risk with Mike DeGoey – DBA Small Business Show 22
Mike DeGoey originally bought Mendocino Glove through business broker, BizBen.com. Since then, though, he’s really made the business his own, and now is going through a rebranding process to call it Workman Glove and Safety, better reflecting what his business does now.
We learned some great things from Mike, including that we all need to learn what our business is: Solve people’s problems, don’t just sell them something. That, plus Mike’s awesome return policy, is why he’s a success!
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Listener Questions: Making Cold Calls & Joint Ventures – DBA Small Business Show 21
Digging into the mailbag this week, Shannon and Dave answer YOUR questions. How best do you handle cold-calling? Is that a necessary part of growing one’s business? And then it’s on to what to look out for when heading into a joint venture. Do you need an attorney and what other steps should you take? Shannon and Dave share their stories and answer these questions and more!
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Jon Barretto from Fully Laced, Building Relationships & Stashing Your Cash – DBA Small Business Show 20
Jon Barretto at FullyLaced.com joins Shannon and Dave today to tell all his stories and share his secrets to success. Learn just how far the skill of building relationships can take you… and learn when to stash your cash! You can learn more about Jon and follow FullyLaced on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, too.
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Hiring, Firing and Salaries – DBA Small Business Show 19
Three very difficult — and unnatural — tasks for any small business owner involve the hiring, firing and wage-setting for employees. Shannon and Dave talk through their experiences they’ve encountered going through all of this. Hear about the pitfalls and, yes, even some success stories they’ve had, too. Even more important, though, are YOUR stories. Send ’em in to feedback@dbapodcast.com and we’ll share!
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Running Out of Gas is The Best Way to Start a Business – DBA Small Business Show 18
RJ Waldron from Northwind Outfitters joins Shannon and Dave tonight to talk about his fishing and hunting guide business. As always, the conversation turns to the little things that matter, and RJ delivers with some great stories about customer service trumping all. Well, that and Quicken. Listen for details and enjoy! If you have questions or tips, send ’em in to feedback@dbapodcast.com.
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Starting a Business Quickly – DBA Small Business Show 17
Today Shannon and Dave dig into the mailbag and answer a listener’s email about getting started. What’s the quickest way to accept money from clients in the name of your new company? How should one go about getting incorporated? What structures are there? Consider this a survey course in all of that… and more!
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Business Partnerships: The Good, The Bad and More! DBA Small Business Show 16
Having a partner can be key to the success of you and your business. Someone to keep you accountable and someone else to do the work that you can’t makes great sense. But there’s a flipside, too, and not all of it is pretty. Hear from two serial partners about what has worked for them… and what hasn’t!
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The Business Fear Confessional – DBA Small Business Show 15
In perhaps their most revealing episode thus far, Shannon and Dave tell their stories about fear; how it’s motivated them, paralyzed them and eventually gotten them further along the path of life. Your two hosts learned something from each other in this show, and you get to hear all about it. Plus if you have your own stories about fear, you can share them with Shannon and Dave at feedback@dbapodcast.com.
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Managing Business Email Lists and More with John Gautereaux – DBA Small Business Show 14
Shannon and Dave are joined today by John Gautereaux, email list expert extraordinaire, to talk promoting your business the right way (and making sure you don’t do it the wrong way!). Listen to these three chat about all things lists and beyond… plus a quick sneak peek at next week’s topic!
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Managing Fear & Professional Development – DBA Small Business Show 13
Episode lucky number 13 starts out with Shannon and Dave talking about how easy it is to let the fear of the known paralyze you and your business, and what to do about it. Dave shares an anecdote about Comscore (spoiler, he hates it) and why it was valuable to spend the money regardless. Then it’s on to what it takes to increase your own value and that of your employees: professional development and networking. Great stories and advice about learning more … and dealing with the worst case scenar
Setting Business and Personal Goals – DBA Small Business Show 12
Shannon and Dave come together today to talk about setting goals, the importance of it as well as how hard they find it to do some of the time! The episode itself is a meta example of why it’s sometimes important to abandon one’s goals and go with the flow. But goals are important, and your two favorite small business owners talk through all of this and more. We’d like to help make it your goal to send at least one piece of email to Feedback@DBAPodcast.com about your goals (and thoughts on the s
Special Guest Abbi Vakil Talks Business- DBA Small Business Show 11
Long-time Apple-industry veteran, Abbi Vakil, joins Shannon and Dave today to talk small business. Abbi shares some great stories with some fantastic lessons he’s learned from decades of running some very successful businesses. Learn why the good stuff is accidental, the importance of doing math in your head, and even moreso the importance of saying, “no” (even with it’s Steve Jobs to whom you have to say it!). If you have questions of your own for Abbi, Shannon or Dave, send ’em in to feedback@
Tax Time For Business and Pleasure – DBA Small Business Show 10
Shannon and Dave celebrate April 15th by sharing their favorite tax anecdotes (yes, they have favorites!) as well as some of the lessons they’ve learned over the years. You don’t need to check with your accountant before you listen, but you almost certainly will want to do so after.
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Self-Promotion Is Your Friend – DBA Small Business Show 9
Today Dave and Shannon talk through the benefits and techniques of telling your story all the time. Customers (existing and future) want to know who you are, what you do and what makes both you and your business interesting. Don’t be afraid to share, and always share with comfortable confidence.
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Find Your Business Niche – The Small Business Show
Shannon and Dave hit the ground running and don’t stop. They both tell some great stories with some even better anecdotes. Listen to hear how you can learn the true purpose of your business from your customers that will help you find your niche. We also talk about how important it is to walk away from a sunk cost. Send in feedback to feedback@dbapodcast.com — We’d love to hear from you!
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Navigating Internships for your business – DBA Small Business Show 7
Internships can be a great thing for your business on many levels, and are great for your interns, too. Shannon’s not only a user of internships at his business, but is a product of an internship himself. Listen to him and Dave talk through the benefits and how to get set up on your own.
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Fraud and Detachment – DBA Small Business Show 6
Shannon and Dave start today with a quick lesson for credit card-taking merchants on dealing with — and avoiding — fraud. Then it’s on to detachment, this time in a good way: what it takes to detach from the process and let your employees own the path to their results. Send us an email to feedback@dbapodcast.com if you’ve got anything to say or have ideas for future topics!
Stuff mentioned:
PayPal Merchant Services
Authorize.net (Great merchant provider for small/medium business if Paypal won’t
Credit Cards from Both Sides of the Counter – DBA Small Business Show 5
Today Dave and Shannon talk through the benefits of using credit cards, both as a consumer and a merchant. GREAT stuff to digest and comment upon here.
Stuff mentioned:
SPG AmEx Card
Flyertalk Credit Cards
AmEx Plum Card
AmEx’s 4 card limit
Discount Rate
Paypal Merchant Account
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Fiverr, Pivots, and Sacred Cows – DBA Small Business Show 4
Shannon and Dave dive deep today, first talking about their logo and then chatting through a few life experiences about making sure you notice when your business is changing. Good stuff here, folks!
Stuff mentioned:
Fiverr
99 Designs
Elance
MLB Advanced Media (streaming spinoff)
Asana came from Facebook
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DBA 3: We have a name!
Shannon and Dave dig in today and nail down a name for the show. Then they talk about compartmentalization, which spins off into several other, fun topics.
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