Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Collaboration is an often overlooked driver of business growth. It can spark innovation, expand your market reach, and turn challenges into opportunities in ways you might not expect. Yet, many small businesses struggle to find the right partnerships. So what do you need to do to start collaborating effectively to propel your business forward? What are the strategies that can help you turn obstacles into opportunities? And how can you spot and secure th...
Feb 21, 2025•43 min•Ep. 102
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Every construction project starts with a contract—but not all contracts are created equal. If you overlook critical details or skip negotiation, you could face unexpected liabilities, payment delays, and disputes that stall progress. Poor contract management can lead to financial setbacks, strained relationships, and missed opportunities for future projects. So, how can you identify risks before signing? What strategies help you negotiate fair terms? An...
Feb 14, 2025•49 min•Ep. 101
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Hiring and onboarding a sales team can either make your business or break it. If you don't have a solid hiring process in place, you'll end up guessing who’s right for the job instead of making an informed choice and hoping they’ll figure it out on their own. But wrong hires or weak onboarding cost money because it leads to high turnover, frustrated salespeople, and lost sales. You need a clear process to find the right talent, get them up to speed with...
Dec 20, 2024•37 min•Ep. 99
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! One of the toughest conversations you’ll have as a leader is terminating an employee. Whether you’re dealing with someone who’s struggling or changes in your business, getting this process right is make-or-break. One wrong move could land you in legal hot water or send your team's morale into a nosedive. So, how do you know when it’s the right time to let someone go? How can you have these hard conversations with honesty and fairness? And what steps can...
Dec 13, 2024•50 min•Ep. 98
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Growing your business is on every entrepreneur's mind. Maybe you're eyeing new markets, or you've set your sights on doubling revenue in the next few years. Sounds exciting, right? But if your business isn't ready for that growth, it can backfire fast. What happens when you're not prepared? Production delays start piling up. Your team burns out. Worse, you start losing the customers you worked so hard to get. So, how do you know if your business is read...
Dec 06, 2024•49 min•Ep. 97
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a powerful method to improve your sales communication skills. If your sales team isn't closing as many deals as you'd like, the problem might not be the product or service—it could be how effectively the salesperson communicates. Misunderstanding the customer’s needs, speaking at the wrong pace, or failing to connect can lead to missed opportunities. Ineffective communication can also create friction with your team,...
Nov 29, 2024•50 min•Ep. 96
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Getting your pricing strategy right is crucial to business success. And though it might seem as simple as choosing a random number - it’s not. Pricing is more complex and understanding the psychology behind your customers’ buying decisions plays a huge role in getting it right. If your prices don’t match the perceived value of your products, you might lose customers, miss out on sales, or damage your brand's reputation. So, how do you price your product...
Nov 15, 2024•50 min•Ep. 95
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Customer retention is an often overlooked aspect of business success. When you focus too much on attracting new customers, you risk neglecting the ones you already have. This could mean lost revenues and damaged trust. To fix this, businesses need to turn to customer journey mapping. By mapping out key interactions, you can improve customer experiences, build loyalty, and increase engagement. But what is customer journey mapping exactly and how can it p...
Nov 08, 2024•45 min•Ep. 94
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Franchise audits are vital for maintaining the financial health of your business. However, many new franchisors find this process challenging, struggling through it due to a lack of preparation and understanding of what it’s all about. This can lead to compliance issues, financial discrepancies, and even damage to the brand’s reputation. So, what exactly is franchise auditing? How does it work? And why is it so important for the financial health of your...
Nov 01, 2024•37 min•Ep. 93
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Is your business growing but struggling with outdated tools, systems, and processes? ERP systems can help streamline operations and boost efficiency. But, ERP, or Enterprise resource planning, is more than just adding new technology. It requires careful planning and proper change management. When is the right time to implement an ERP system in your business? How do you get started, and how do you help your team transition smoothly? In this episode, Alli...
Oct 25, 2024•45 min•Ep. 92
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Your small business is poised for growth, but lurking legal risks could derail your success. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of growth and overlook the legal side of things. From employment laws and tax codes to those contracts that seem clear until they aren't, any of these can lead to expensive and time-consuming disputes. So, how do you make sure your business is legally protected? Do you hire a full-time lawyer or a consultant? And are ...
Sep 13, 2024•40 min•Ep. 91
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Great businesses thrive by investing in their people. When companies face tough times, it's often due to a lack of workforce development. If employees don't feel supported or aren't given chances to grow, it can lead to demotivation, higher turnover, and team dysfunction. So, what is workforce development? How does it function, and how can you implement it effectively? In this episode, Michelle Arentz and I chat about why workforce development matters a...
Sep 06, 2024•48 min•Ep. 90
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Employee retention lies at the heart of every successful business. It's the lifeline that keeps productivity high and morale even higher, making your team feel valued and appreciated, and motivating them to do their best. Yet, many companies struggle with keeping their best talent. Even businesses that seem great on paper often face high turnover rates. So why is it becoming harder to retain your employees? Why is this a recurring issue? What makes peop...
Aug 23, 2024•40 min•Ep. 89
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! When your financial records are not accurate or organized, it can lead to poor decisions, financial problems, and stunted growth. So how do you keep your books clean? What should you look for in a bookkeeper and accountant? And how do you make sure that your financial records are accurate and up to date? In this episode, Jennifer Yousem and I talk all about the challenges of messy accounting for small businesses. We break down why this is so common, eve...
Aug 16, 2024•41 min•Ep. 88
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Expense management is a must for any business. Every dollar spent can either contribute to your growth or drain your resources. And while it seems like a simple thing to do, many businesses struggle with it - causing bigger financial problems down the road. So what can you do to avoid this in your business? In this episode, John Krebsbach and I go very deep into effective expense management. From managing credit cards and checks to dealing with reluctan...
Aug 02, 2024•49 min•Ep. 87
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Transforming your construction business can be a challenging yet rewarding process. Is it time to scale up? Well, you've got customers to deal with, suppliers to find, building codes to follow, and a team to keep on point. All these moving parts directly affect your finances. Things can get chaotic fast, and if you neglect any of these areas, it can really hurt your financial stability and growth. So, how do you keep everything on track in your construc...
Jul 26, 2024•36 min•Ep. 86
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! When people talk about business innovation, the top of their minds is new tech or new products. However, small business innovation particularly, is so much more than that. It's also about fresh ideas, seeing things from a different perspective - including how you use your products, making smart choices, and strategic growth. So what does innovation look like in small businesses? Are there any tools or techniques that can enhance innovation? How does it ...
Jul 19, 2024•41 min•Ep. 85
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Running a business can be very stressful, as you may already know. When stress kicks in, it can impact both your body and mind, affecting how well you work. If it’s not managed, it can lead to loss of focus, missed opportunities, and even burnout, which can prevent your business from growing. The good news is, there's a simple yet effective way to manage stress called Breathwork. This technique helps you regain control and stay calm during the daily hus...
Jul 12, 2024•39 min•Ep. 84
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! For your business to grow, you need a recruitment strategy or recruitment process in place to get the right team in place. If you don’t find the people that can best fit your business needs, you might end up with higher turnover and lower productivity, making it harder to hit your goals. So what can you do to get it right? You can optimize your job listings, cultivate the right culture and even adjust your salary ranges to attract good candidates. You c...
Jul 05, 2024•33 min•Ep. 83
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Workforce planning is a vital strategy for your growing business. It makes sure that you have the right people fill the right roles at the right time. But applying workforce planning concepts to your operations might be challenging, especially if it's something you've never had in your business before. So, what exactly is workforce planning? How does it integrate into your business structure? And how do you know if it's effective or not? In this episode...
Jun 28, 2024•43 min•Ep. 82
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! In the world of successful businesses, effective leadership alignment is crucial. When a company succeeds, it's often because its leaders make sure that everyone in the company understands, agrees, and works together to achieve its goals - that their strategies match the overall vision and objectives. This alignment fuels growth and success. However, when it's missing, people tend to focus on their own agendas, which can derail progress and cause proble...
Jun 21, 2024•33 min•Ep. 81
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! When your business becomes a victim of financial fraud, specifically check fraud, it can be a total nightmare. Not only will you lose money but you'll also lose time in trying to track it down, closing your account, and talking to your bank, lawyers, and the authorities. Depending on the size of the theft, it can affect your operations. You may not be able to pay your employees and your suppliers, damaging your reputation and it may even lead to legal a...
Jun 14, 2024•31 min•Ep. 80
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! When hiring for a new position, it's crucial to get it right. Hiring mistakes can be costly and disruptive, affecting productivity, team morale, and your bottom line. Making the wrong choice can also mean wasted time, resources, and opportunities for your company to grow. But how do you avoid making hiring mistakes? What are the red flags to watch out for? And how do you pick the right people who will bring your business to the next level? In this episo...
Jun 07, 2024•36 min•Ep. 79
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! One of the most creative and simple ways to grow a business is by taking the Appreciation Marketing approach. It’s a strategy that can help you strengthen your relationships with your customers by showing your appreciation and that you genuinely care about them. It's a common problem in many businesses. You might just be too busy to stop and take time to acknowledge your customers, partners, and even those in your network. You might be focused on making...
May 31, 2024•44 min•Ep. 78
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! When your business grows, expect to get busy. But what happens when there is just too much on your plate? You might need an Executive Assistant (EA). It's a pivotal role within the organizational structure, providing crucial support to CEOs while helping steer the company toward success. So how do you go about hiring one? What do they do? Do you really need one? How do you manage their responsibilities? And how do they help grow your business? In this e...
May 24, 2024•42 min•Ep. 77
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! If your small business is currently growing, it might be time to professionalize your operations. The tools and methods that worked when you started may no longer work for you now that you're expanding. Without upgrading your ways of working, your business can fail. Inefficient processes and disorganization can hold you back, allowing the competition to leave you behind. So, how do you professionalize your operations? What are the specific steps to get ...
May 17, 2024•44 min•Ep. 76
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Feeling the pressure as your business grows? As you expand, expect to face new hurdles: Your old framework might no longer be the right fit. You'll need to build an executive team while streamlining your processes becomes crucial. And what about succession planning? Who takes over the reins when you step back? And if that's not enough pressure, you also need to make sure everything keeps running smoothly while managing all these changes. If you don't ge...
May 10, 2024•35 min•Ep. 75
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Is your business missing out on valuable customer feedback? Without it, you won’t know what they want or even feel about your business. You’ll be operating in the dark, making decisions based on assumptions rather than data. If you’re also not taking the time to do any customer research, you won’t get to know their needs and pain points. This could lead to missed opportunities that will eventually eat into your finances. So how do you start doing custom...
Apr 19, 2024•49 min•Ep. 74
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Change is part and parcel of running a growing business. But with change comes resistance, disrupting operations and creating hurdles that can strain your workload and more importantly, your finances. So what can you do to manage change effectively? Are there specific steps to take that will guarantee a smooth transition? And most importantly, how do you get your team to embrace change positively? In this episode, Ursula Jorch discusses the essential el...
Apr 12, 2024•35 min•Ep. 73
Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Struggling with poor performance in your business? Whether it's employees always running late, missing deadlines, or failing to meet expectations, it’s stressful and will eventually affect your bottom line. So, what's causing all the chaos? Is it a communication breakdown? Are there gaps in your onboarding processes? Or are your leaders not stepping up? Discovering the root causes of poor performance is key to implementing meaningful changes. But how do...
Apr 05, 2024•32 min•Ep. 72
