Interviews with CEOs and Entrepreneurs about the frameworks they are using to build and scale their businesses.
Episodes
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Charles Brecque is the founder and CEO of Legislate, a tech company that makes it easy for non-lawyers to safely create, manage, and search lawyer-approved contracts on a no-legal budget. We talk about advanced contract management, how business deals fall apart because of contracts, and what to do when dealing with one-sided contracts.
Timestamps
[00:29] Charles’ entrepreneurial journey
[02:07] When business deals fall apart because of contracts
[04:37] How Legislate helps remove the complexity out of contracts
[05:54] Reasonableness and good faith in contracts
[07:23] Having a system for creating contracts saves time
[10:10] The types of businesses currently using Legislate
[12:07] How contracts translate to different jurisdictions
[16:08] Advanced contract management at Legislate
[18:59] How to deal with one-sided contracts
[21:03] Legislate’s single phrase strategy
[23:08] Opening up contracts for better business opportunities
[25:45] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Monday Aug 22, 2022
Monday Aug 22, 2022
Denis O'Shea is the founder of Mobile Mentor, an MSP helping clients find and maintain the right balance between securing devices, protecting data, and empowering people to be productive. We talk about cybersecurity for a remote workforce, how to go totally password-free, and how to turn your company into a “Category of One” business.
Timestamps
[00:36] Denis’ entrepreneurial journey
[03:24] How Denis helped people get more out of their smartphones
[06:06] The Endpoint Ecosystem and why it’s so important
[08:45] Cybersecurity for a remote workforce
[10:21] The right balance between cybersecurity and productivity
[12:47] How to go totally password free
[14:28] How to turn your company into a “Category of One” business
[17:39] The Endpoint Ecosystem and predicting the future of work
[20:38] How Denis helps companies balance between security and employee experience
[21:51] Cybersecruty for remote Gen Z workers
[23:24] How the pandemic shaped Gen Z workers and the future of cybersecurity
[28:22] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Monday Aug 15, 2022
Monday Aug 15, 2022
Jim Padilla is the founder and CEO of Gain the Edge, a sales service firm that provides business owners with top-notch sales teams, live events, and hands-free sales processes and systems. We talk about the Rainmaker Sales System, the role of emotions in buying decisions, and how to improve your control over the sales process.
Timestamps
[00:58] Jim’s entrepreneurial journey
[02:14] The difference between selling during and after a launch
[03:16] How to improve your control over the sales process
[04:29] What is the Rainmaker Sales System?
[07:52] Why the Rainmaker system works in all industries
[09:41] The role of emotions in buying decisions
[11:03] How to make the mechanism the message in sales
[13:34] Why you need to sell according to how your clients buy
[17:17] Things that stunt your ability to scale
[21:52] How to scale your business
[23:42] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Monday Aug 08, 2022
Monday Aug 08, 2022
Alex Castro is an execution alignment expert, best-selling author, and the creator of ReM Score. We discuss the role of an execution alignment expert, reasons why businesses struggle with strategy execution, and how the ReM Score drives innovation growth opportunities.
Time Stamps
[00:26] Alex’s entrepreneurial journey
[02:39] The primary role of an execution alignment expert
[06:08] Reasons why businesses struggle with execution
[08:33] The biggest unsolved problem with strategy execution
[14:16] Understanding the gap between idea, strategy, and execution
[17:17] Strategy execution: How to escape the 80% failure rate
[20:33] The four phases of an effective execution framework
[22:49] The 14 modeling ingredients for effective strategy implementation
[24:11] Alex describes the strategy and benefits of using Rem Score
[26:09 How to use ReM Score as a small/mid-sized business owner
[28:15] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Measure, Execute, Win: Avoiding Strategic Initiative Debacles and Knowing What Your Business Can and Can’t Do Well by Alex Castro
Monday Aug 01, 2022
Monday Aug 01, 2022
Darryl Bates-Brownsword is the owner of Succession Plus, a boutique consulting firm that helps get businesses exit ready so owners can step back, maximize value, and leave on their own terms. We discuss the five steps to creating an exit-ready business, ways to add massive value to your business, and factors that shape a successful exit plan.
Time Stamps
[00:29] Darryl's entrepreneurial journey
[03:23] How to build an exit-ready business
[07:06] The five main stages of a strategic business exit strategy
[08:43] Reasons why every company needs a vision
[10:56] Expert tips on how to protect the value of your business
[13:36] Ways to add massive value to your business
[16:42] Key processes to formulating a successful exit strategy
[18:24] How to manage value and reinvent yourself after a successful exit
[21:46] Factors that shape a successful exit plan
[23:39] The benefits of measuring and monitoring business capacity
[24:47] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Darryl's Website: Succession.plus
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Stacey Marmolejo is the Principal Owner of the Franchise Prep Academy, where she focuses on teaching military veterans how to explore franchise ownership as a potential post-service career. We talk about the skills that define a great franchise owner, how to find the right franchise to invest in, and the biggest challenges to growing a franchise business.
Timestamps
[00:30] Stacey's entrepreneurial journey
[02:12] Pros and cons of becoming a franchisee
[04:22] Skills that make you a great franchisee
[06:29] Are franchise investors visionary or non-visionary entrepreneurs?
[08:14] Personality traits for successful franchise ownership
[11:25] How to find the right franchise for you to invest in
[14:23] The difference between a franchise coach and a franchise consultant
[15:59] Ways to know if your business is ready to franchise
[21:30] Common franchise myths and realities about growth and success
[24:17] Biggest challenges to growing a franchise business
[25:57] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Get your h0w-to franchise ebooks here
Monday Jul 18, 2022
Monday Jul 18, 2022
Brandon Leibowitz is the founder and owner of SEO Optimizers, a full-service digital marketing agency, specializing in search engine optimization, website design, social media, and paid advertising. We talk about the importance of having niche-relevant backlinks, how to rank your website using SEO, and the anatomy of the perfect blog post.
Time Stamps
[00:27] Brandon's entrepreneurial journey
[02:09] The most exciting things about SEO
[02:52] How to keep up with the ever-changing SEO trends
[04:39] SEO versus paid search advertising
[06:40] Brandon's Digital Marketing Blueprint
[09:45] What are backlinks, and how do they work?
[12:35] How to use backlinks for better search rankings
[15:05] The importance of having niche-relevant backlinks
[16:15] How podcasting can improve your search engine ranking
[18:24] Does a press release for higher search rankings still work?
[19:30] How to get traffic and convert them into customers
[21:43] Ways to optimize your website for higher conversions
[22:57] The anatomy of the perfect blog post
[25:23] How Brandon creates content that people want to read
[26:52] Where and how to use keywords the right way
[29:51] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Claim your free gift here Seooptimizers.com/gift
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Natasha Miller is the Founder and Chief Experience Designer of Entire Productions, an Inc 5000 corporate event planning and entertainment management company. She is also the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book Relentless: Homeless Teen to Achieving the Entrepreneur Dream. We talk about the power of delegation in business, why musicians make great entrepreneurs, and how to become a relentless entrepreneur.
Time Stamps
[00:34] Natasha’s entrepreneurial journey
[02:00] How Natasha first got into entrepreneurship
[04:08] Understanding the Entire Productions Project Management System
[07:52] The main cogs in Natasha’s management blueprint
[09:13] How Natasha’s management system is like a supercharged CRM
[11:40] Key components of successful workflow automation
[14:14] Why you need to reduce complexity in your systems
[15:41] How reliability strengthens business relationships
[17:20] Why delegation is a superpower in business
[20:25] Why musicians make better entrepreneurs
[23:45] Natasha’s Book Relentless: Homeless Team To Achieving The Entrepreneur Dream
[26:41] Traits of highly relentless people and how to become one
[29:07] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Relentless: Homeless Teen to Achieving the Entrepreneur Dream by Natasha Miller
Monday Jul 04, 2022
Monday Jul 04, 2022
Matt Davis is the CEO and Owner of Davis Business Law, a group of business lawyers dedicated to helping companies and entrepreneurs deal with the complex vulnerabilities in their business. He is also the author of The Art of Preventing Stupid: How to Build a Stronger Business Strategy through Better Risk Management. We talk about the business immune system report, how constant improvement always leads to success, and the difference between ignorance and ineptitude in business.
Time Stamps
[00:39] Matthew’s entrepreneurial journey
[02:03] How Matthew transformed his law practice into a functioning business
[03:36] Matthew’s thoughts on working on the business, not in the business
[04:45] Constant improvement is the key to business success
[06:06] What is the Prevent Stupid System?
[09:38] Understanding The Art of Preventing Stupid
[11:03] Matt’s modified Eisenhower matrix
[14:22] The difference between ignorance and ineptitude in business
[18:32] Why you need to constantly address areas of vulnerability in your business
[20:16] The Immune System Report and why it’s so effective
[23:01] How to address problems in your business before they manifest
[25:23] How to build a one-partner law firm
[31:42] Smart entrepreneurs proactively protect their business
[34:38] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
The Art of Preventing Stupid by Matthew Davis
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Andy Neillie is an adjunct professor, best-selling author, and the owner of Aqua-Tots Swim School of Central Texas. He's also the principal of the Neillie Leadership Group, where he helps organizations turn managers into leaders. We talk about the four leadership necessities, why communication is the most important skill in leadership, and best practices for holding tough conversations.
Time Stamps
[00:40] Andy's entrepreneurial journey
[03:47] Andy's time management practices and running multiple businesses
[05:09] The Four Leadership Necessities
[09:31] Covenant Leadership and why it's so powerful
[10:32] How to leverage the 4 C's of Leadership to grow your company
[13:35] Understand that we all can grow our passions
[15:07] Competence and character in leadership
[20:36] Your business is not a family; it's a team
[23:57] Communication is the most important skill in leadership
[25:27] The three main types of conversations in leadership
[30:28] Best practices for holding hard conversations
[31:21] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Andy's email: Andy@neillieleadership.com
The Golden Principles by Andy Neillie
What Got You Here Won't Get You There in Sales by Marshall Goldsmith