Running a business can be a lonely life, especially when your loved ones don’t understand the unique challenges of entrepreneurial life. Every business owner needs an advisory board to share ideas and address challenges with. One tool that addresses these issues is the mastermind group. They come in all shapes and sizes. On this episode of Business: Engaged!, we talk with small business consult and mastermind group expert Karyn Greenstreet . She will discuss the options, formats, and success fac...
Nov 29, 2012•39 min
Procrastination can cost your company $10,000 per procrastinating employee per year. An estimated 25 percent of our population are chronic procrastinators but most of us procrastinate from time to time. On this episode of Business: Engaged!, we talk with Gary Sheely . He is an executive coach and counselor as well as the author of Cutting Away: Facing the Fatal 5 to Survive and Thrive for the Best Life Ever . We talk about why we procrastinate and how we can stop it from crippling our productivi...
Nov 21, 2012•40 min
Not everyone wants to build a sprawling business loaded with employees and large capital investments. Some prefer to keep it lean, and that can equate to running a shoestring business. Today’s technology and the internet provide us more variations on the shoestring business than ever before. On this episode of Business: Engaged! we talk with retired business owner Wayne Simpson. We discuss the advantages, funding options, and success factors. We also talk about whether to incorporate and how to ...
Nov 16, 2012•31 min
Trade shows can be the best way to prospect leads that end in sales or they can be a king-sized waste of time and money. It all depends on your strategy for meeting your objectives. On this episode of Business: Engaged! we talk with Ken Abernathy, president of Big Hats Consulting . He has over 25 years of experience serving customers who exhibit in trade shows and expos domestically and internationally. We talk about how to get the most out of the investment, what to expect when working with dif...
Nov 08, 2012•42 min
Employees carry out your vision for your company and care for the needs of your hard-earned customers. Selecting them and understanding the needs of employees in today’s labor market determines your success. On this episode of Business: Engaged! we talk with Pamela J. Green MBA SPHR. She is a human resources consultant and executive coach. We talk about what to look for when recruiting employees with the skills and talent we need to succeed. We also discuss how to develop them so they are prepar...
Oct 31, 2012•41 min
You probably have a LinkedIn profile but you might know how powerful it is as a business tool. On this episode of Business: Engaged! we talk with Michael Phelps of In-Direct Information . He’s an expert on using LinkedIn to its fullest capacity for prospecting, relationship building, and job searching. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS We also feature Courthouse Concepts on our product and service spotlight. You’ll learn more about their pre-employment screen services. And ...
Oct 25, 2012•56 min
What is your favorite networking tips? I went on location to my favorite networking group and asked that question. Check in with Business: Engaged! to hear what they had to say. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS We also highlight Legal Shield’s business plan on our product and service spotlight. They have two levels of business plans that you’ll find useful. You know well that when you have employees, at some point you’ll have legal questions. And you won’t want to miss my ...
Oct 09, 2012•35 min
One of the great, still largely unexplored frontiers for traditional local businesses is the internet. How do we sell what we do to a wider market? Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we welcome back Josh Clemence of Acumen Brands . We talk about where some of their web properties got their start and what makes them successful. We also explore the issues that today’s internet-savvy companies are dealing with. We also highlight Legal Shie...
Oct 01, 2012
Business valuation isn’t just used when selling your business. It can serve as a periodic checkup. You’ll see the process used to estimate the value of a partners’ ownership and in retirement planning. It is necessary in disputes related to estate value and divorce litigation. This show explores the topic and includes important information such as factors that affect value and different approaches to valuation. We welcome Barbara Taylor of Synergy Business Services to the show. She is a regular ...
Sep 25, 2012•36 min
It is what Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad calls the business of the 21st century. You might be familiar with brands like Amway, Mary Kay, and Tupperware. But what do you know about the changes in the industry that were made possible by the Internet and social media? This isn’t your grandma’s multi-level marketing organization anymore. There are more choices than ever and most don’t involve taking up any space in your home unless you just want a home office. You’d be surprised to k...
Sep 19, 2012•45 min
It seems like almost every problem with a small business owner’s bottom line can be tied to the ability to market the company’s products and services. But how do we choose which tools to use? The Internet has brought us so many new marketing tools. Instead of empowering and equipping us, we often find ourselves paralyzed when we try to make a decision, or worse, spending too much on marketing. On this episode of Business: Engaged !, Jackie Wolven of Moxie, a marketing and public relations compan...
Sep 13, 2012•42 min
After a 40-year career as a hairdresser, salon owner, and educator, Sara Lou Manning signed the lease for a new business and up for Social Security on the same day. She sold her salon several years earlier but maintained a number of clients while she followed her passion for helping people with hair loss. Instead of retiring though, she opened a niche business devoted to developing custom solutions for a variety of hair issues. On this episode of Business: Engaged!, Sara Lou talks about the hope...
Sep 02, 2012•45 min
Most of my episodes are designed for business owners with at least ten years of business ownership experience under their belt. The topic of this episode is about repurposing what you do to turn it into a new product or service. In this case though, we use the military and space exploration career of Skylab 4 astronaut Bill Pogue to demonstrate the process. After a 25-year Air Force career that included being a Thunderbird pilot, an assistant professor of the mathematics department at the Air Fo...
Aug 27, 2012•43 min
No workplace is immune to the potential of an employee injury. On this episode of Business: Engaged!, I talk with Steve Joseph LPT of Maximum Performance Spine Sports and Physical Therapy about preventing and addressing workplace injuries. As a licensed physical therapist, he has helped all kinds of patients whether they were injured at home, play, or work or he is providing post-surgery therapy. We discuss the role that Workers’ Compensation plays in workplace injuries and creating a system whe...
Aug 14, 2012•36 min
If you’ve hired anyone — or heaven forbid looked for a job yourself — in the last few years, you know the recruiting game has changed. On this episode of Business: Engaged!, Jan McCormick Ed D of Job Lingo talks about how and why we make our recruiting decisions. There are plenty of tips in this episode for hiring managers and job searchers alike. She even talks about hiring people who have a few dings on their record that are looking for a second chance. I’ve included the second update on my ci...
Aug 08, 2012•34 min
If you’ve ever wondered why people don’t do what you ask and other puzzling communication questions, this episode is for you. I pull the content for today’s episode on creating meaningful conversation from my book, Currency: Striking Networking Gold in a Relationship Economy . We talk about the importance of getting face-to-face and engaging in two-way, one-on-one conversations with the people in our life. I throw down the 2-10 Challenge — engage in two 10-minute meaningful conversations each da...
Jul 30, 2012•31 min
You know those times that you wish you had your camera because you would have taken a picture of a moment that might never happen again? I feel the same way about recording interviews. Thanks to technology, I can always whip out my smartphone and take a photo or record an interview. This week’s show is about understanding the decisions you must make about the lifespan of your business. And being an entrepreneur in the technology age means that advances can affect your business — for better or wo...
Jul 23, 2012•30 min
Safe workplaces aren’t just for warehouses and manufacturing facilities. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is chartered with ensuring that companies throughout the United States are working to keep employees safe. A surprise OSHA visit to a business that is violating safety standards and endangering employees can result in thousands of dollars in fines. Our guest on this episode is Ethan Lightfoot of Lightfoot Consulting . Ethan is an authorized OSHA outreach trainer. He w...
Jul 16, 2012•35 min
A chamber of commerce is often the first place a business connects in a community. However, they do more than host networking groups and send out welcome packets. How much do you know about what they do? In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we talk with Raymond Burns and Michael Lindsey of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce in Rogers, Arkansas. They explain what a chamber of commerce does and how membership can benefit a business. One important role that a chamber of commerce serves is...
Jul 09, 2012•39 min
The Hispanic population is the fastest-growing ethnic demographic in the United States. In the last 10 years, they have accounted for more than half of the overall population increase. And in the next five years, they will account for at least 60% of that increase. Hispanics are more inclined to build trustworthy relationships with people and companies that take the time to understand who they are and what they represent morally, ethically, and culturally. Essentially Hispanics prefer brands tha...
Jul 02, 2012
Over twenty years, Eureka Pizza has earned its place as Arkansas’ leading independent pizzeria. Owner Rolf Wilkin today is keeping it local with his nine Northwest Arkansas pizza shops. He talks about the journey to expand and shares his insights. He’ll be the first to tell you that massive growth doesn’t always mean more profit, or, more importantly, quality of life. Rolf has always believed in shameless self-promotion. From standing on street corners shaking signs to recording his own pizza co...
Jun 25, 2012•34 min
It was 2008 and the writing was on the wall: Kent Rylee’s 20-year business relationship with General Motors was about to change forever. He was faced with many options. Instead, he chose to reinvent his business. While other car dealers faced with the same dilemma were closing their doors, he took a long look at what they could do with the facility, employees, and reputation they had. What emerged was Kent Rylee Automotive Solutions , a local Napa Auto parts dealer with a full service center tha...
Jun 18, 2012•31 min
If she should know better, why is she not doing what you want her to do? One of the biggest management challenges is motivating and leading employees to do what we want them to do. The key to addressing performance issues with employees is communicating clear expectations. In this episode of Business: Engaged!, Kelly Riggs of Vmax Performance Group talks about importance of creating a culture of performance in an organization. He provides four steps to setting performance expectations and addres...
Jun 11, 2012•36 min
No business owner starts out with any thought of closing his business. The dirty little secret in business is that every company has a life span, no matter what size or format. Products change. Customer needs evolve. Life moves on. Owners need to stay close to shifting conditions and be ready to make tough decisions. In this episode, we chat with Beth Cook, former owner of B Larue gift shop. She’s built her retail shops from the ground up, determining format and sourcing all merchandise. She eve...
Jun 04, 2012•31 min
So where do you go when you have questions about that next step or even the first step in business ownership? Well, many entrepreneurs turn to SCORE for help. SCORE is a volunteer organization funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration that provides free small business advice. I spent six years with the organization as a counselor although today they would refer to us as mentors. If you are familiar with SCORE, you might remember that SCORE was an acronym for Service Corps of Retired Execu...
May 28, 2012•34 min
The internet and technology advances have changed the way we start up our businesses. It has changed where and how we work and how we connect to others. In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we talk about the concept of co-working. Never heard of it? I bet you’ve wished for it. Tune in this week to hear entrepreneurship advocate Josh Clemence tell us how co-working sets the stage for a thriving start up. Without Josh, the Iceberg co-working facility and the Northwest Arkansas Entrepreneurship A...
May 21, 2012
Business valuation isn’t just used when selling your business. It can serve as a periodic checkup. You’ll see the process used to estimate the value of a partners’ ownership and in retirement planning. It is necessary in disputes related to estate value and divorce litigation. This show explores the topic and includes important information such as factors that affect value and different approaches to valuation. We welcome Barbara Taylor of Synergy Business Services to the show. She is a regular ...
May 14, 2012•31 min
Lifelong business relationships don’t happen with just one encounter. They are forged over a series of meaningful conversations. Networking is a great tool for prospecting but the real gold is found in networking conversations. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Your host Carrie Perrien Smith is the author of Currency: Striking Networking Gold in a Relationship Economy . In this show, she shares her secrets to successful networking: leading conversation, crafting a 60-second...
May 07, 2012•29 min
Only 7% of our message is communicated through words. In a digital word that is dominated by text-only communication, it’s time to re-engage face to face. That one-on-one conversation with where relationships are forged and we get the total communication picture. We welcome performance and training consultant Willie Johnson , the “Ambassador of Potentiality,” to the show. We’ll talk about communicating, asking questions, listening, and understanding the differences of others on teams. Mastering ...
Apr 30, 2012•30 min
If you think the time isn’t right to make a big-time impact in your world, think again. Kim Hodous started making jewelry at her kitchen table and built it into a seven-figure business in less than seven years. Join us to learn the secret to balancing a growing family with a growing business and hiring the right people. She talks about her mentor’s role in her success and using gut instinct to make decisions. You won’t want to miss as the founder and CEO of Rockwood Jewelry teaches us how to sho...
Apr 23, 2012•31 min
