Interviews with CEOs and Entrepreneurs about the frameworks they are using to build and scale their businesses.
Episodes
Monday Jun 20, 2022
Monday Jun 20, 2022
Steve Alexander is the CEO of MSP-Ignite, an organization that helps managed service providers achieve maximum equity and recurring revenues through facilitated peer groups. We talk about the benefits of being part of a peer group, the recurring revenue model’s impact on business valuation, and how to maximize your profit margins as an MSP.
Time Stamps
[00:30] Steve’s entrepreneurial journey
[01:54] What is an MSP?
[07:10] How Steve launched his first business advisory group
[07:53] Mastermind groups and how they operate
[11:13] Top tips for building trust in a mastermind group
[13:53] The difference between project revenue and recurring revenue
[16:22] How to build a recurring revenue business model
[20:44] Why you should consider joining a peer group
[23:38] The main reasons why people join and stay in business peer groups
[25:10] A glimpse into what a typical peer group meeting looks like
[28:21] How to deal with an unmanageable peer group member
[31:34] The subtle art of managing efficient mastermind groups
[37:32] Steve’s process of onboarding new peer group members
[38:59] How to maximize your profit margins as an MSP
[41:47] Parting thoughts
[43:04] How the recurring revenue model has evolved over time
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary’s New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Dennis van der Heijden is the Founder, CEO, and Head of Global Happiness at Convert.com, where they make e-commerce A/B and multivariate testing easy for agencies and experts. We talk about the Holocracy management system, why your website needs frequent testing and monitoring, and how to analyze the traffic coming to your website.
Time Stamps
[00:50] Dennis’ entrepreneurial journey
[02:48] How Convert.com improves website performance
[03:59] The recommended number of times you should A/B test your website
[05:34] Basics of website performance testing and monitoring
[07:40] Why all small business owners should frequently A/B test their websites
[10:47] How to analyze the traffic coming through to your website
[12:16] Why you should focus more on traffic before thinking about A/B testing your site
[13:15] Best platforms for A/B testing before making changes to your site
[17:41] Dennis’ experience with management blueprints
[20:47] How to commoditize the human element of your business
[24:54] What it looks like for a company running on Holocracy
[25:33] Key aspects of the Holocracy constitution
[29:39] Understanding the Convert Main Circle of leadership
[32:06] Democracy within an organization
[35:02] The pros and cons of the Horocracy management system
[39:40] How entrepreneurs can get the most out of the Hollocracy constitution
[42:44] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources:
Dennis’ email: Dennis@Convert.com
The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris
Buyable: Your Guide to Building a Self-Managing, Fast-Growing, and High-Profit Business
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Jack McGuinness is the co-founder of Relationship Impact, a consulting firm focused on helping great leaders build great leadership teams. He is also the author of a new book, Building Great Leadership Teams: A Practical Approach for Unleashing the Full Potential of Your Team. We talk about the benefits of having a great leadership team, how to build trust inside a team, and why leadership is not about having all the answers.
Time Stamps
[00:40] Jack’s entrepreneurial journey
[04:02] How the 2008 crash impacted Jack’s entrepreneurial journey
[06:23] Lessons learned from running a business during the 2008 financial crisis
[07:57] The importance of having a strong leadership team
[10:56] The tension between productivity and business health in leadership
[12:22] Is toxic productivity good for the work environment?
[14:41] The secret to building a great leadership team
[19:28] How to build trust inside your team
[24:24] How to intentionally compose an effective leadership team
[28:55] Understanding the role of the CEO in a leadership team
[33:15] Why leadership is not about having all the answers
[36:06] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve’s and Greg’s New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Building Great Leadership Teams by Jack McGuinness
Monday May 30, 2022
Monday May 30, 2022
Amit Kothari is the CEO of Tallyfy, a technology platform that helps business owners document and automate processes without being technical or process savvy. We talk about process improvement in small businesses, what it means to have a scalable business, and the drawbacks of using flowcharts when documenting business processes.
Time Stamps
[00:49] Amit’s entrepreneurial journey
[03:01] How Tallyfy is revolutionizing business processes
[05:06] The drawbacks of using flowcharts when mapping business process
[07:42] How Amit successfully challenged the status quo when building his business
[09:38] How to answer the trickiest entrepreneurship question
[11:15] The key differences between a process-focused and project-focused business
[13:03] What it means to have a scalable business
[15:07] How to productize a service
17:58] Understanding how process improvement is about creativity
[19:24] Critical steps for optimizing a business process
[20:50] How to significantly improve your business processes
[23:41] Why giving employees a voice improves engagement
[27:08] The difference between processes and workflows
[28:12] What is workflow automation and why is it so important?
[31:19] Automate repetitive tasks to save time and productivity
[35:07] How Amit and his team can improve a team’s productivity by 20%
[38:23] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve’s and Greg Cleary's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
https://StevePreda.com
Monday May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
Shane Foss is the founder and CEO of Hooray Health, a limited benefit medical plan provider focused on providing practical health care plans and protecting their members against predatory balanced billing practices. We talk about the main stages of a business life cycle, how to avoid the predatory balance billing trap, and the main drivers of the medical debt crisis.
Time Stamps
[00:41] Shane’s entrepreneurial journey
[02:16] The Darkside of healthcare in the US
[04:49] Understanding the main stages of a business lifecycle
[08:12] How to measure the main phases of a business lifecycle
[11:55] The right time to scale your business
[12:34] Key elements of the business testing phase
[13:47] How Hooray Health stands out as a health insurance provider
[18:45] Why Hooray Health is not a replacement for major medical
[20:13] Gen X and Millennials love for supplemental health benefits
[21:54] How to avoid the predatory balance billing trap
[24:10] Explaining the meaning of balance billing in health insurance
[26:15] How heath care providers tackle the medical debt crisis
[29:32] Growth drivers in a health insurance firm like Hooray Health
[31:31] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve’s and Greg Cleary’s New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Monday May 16, 2022
Monday May 16, 2022
Greg Cleary is the Founder of Pinnacle Business Guides, a community of entrepreneurial guides with real-world, hands-on experience running businesses. We talk about why people are the most important assets in your business, why you need a business operating system for your company, and why you would want to customize it for your business. Also learn about Steve and Greg’s new book, Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain.
Time Stamps
[01:00] Greg’s entrepreneurial journey
[05:00] The key challenges of building a coaching community of guides
[05:55] How Greg developed the 5 principles in the Pinnacle business framework
[08:03] Why people are what matters most in business
[11:23] What makes the Pinnacle business operating system unique
[15:15] Why Greg believes Pinnacle is the 100% solution
[17:40] The essence of having tools for your business
[20:45] Greg’s obsession with helping companies grow
[21:58] Why every business needs a customized operating system
[25:09] Rocks as the secret to achieving business goals
[30:00] How to 5X your business in 5 years
[31:20] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg's New Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Pinnacle Business Guides website
The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
Dave Romero is the President of Unboxed Training and Technology, a company that creates learning experiences and technologies to help businesses embed continuous learning in the workplace. We talk about the Holy Grail of business longevity, how successful entrepreneurs eliminate complexity from their businesses, and why curiosity is the ultimate business superpower.
Timestamps
[00:34] Dave’s entrepreneurial journey
[01:47] Dave’s desire to improve the boring learning environment
[02:52] Dave’s experience with management blueprints
[05:31] Understanding the Eisenhower matrix
[08:33] How to differentiate between urgent and important things in your business
[10:56] Knowing where to focus your energy and attention
[14:30] How to stop complexity from choking your business
[16:45] Understanding the Infinite Game of Business
[19:39] The Holy Grail of business longevity
[25:57] Meeting the buyer’s needs and selling in the information age
[30:17] The bespoke hiring and recruiting process at Unboxed
[34:23] Why curiosity in business is the ultimate superpower
[36:11] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources:
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
Buyable: Your Guide to Building a Self-Managing, Fast-Growing, and High-Profit Business
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
Raghu Bala is the founder and CEO of NetObjex that operates Matrix, a Digital Asset-as-a-Service platform that helps enterprises harness the power of Internet of Things, AI, and blockchain technologies in constructing Web3 marketplaces. We talk about the democratization of data, the three primary categories of assets, and why virtual real estate is intentionally made scarce.
Time Stamps
[00:39] Raghu’s entrepreneurial journey
[04:56] Web3: The hype and how it can transform the internet
[07:53] Understanding the democratization of data
[10:08] Raghu’s experience with management blueprints
[11:58] How to approach investment funding for your startup
[16:49] What is Crowdfunding and how does it work?
[20:26] The disadvantages of crowdfunding
[21:33] Debt financing for early-stage startups
[23:12] Lending clubs: How they work and what to expect
[23:58] Understanding the basics of convertible notes
[25:45] The three primary categories of assets
[27:13] How to secure your assets using tokens
[31:16] Digital Assets: Common formats and how they’re best used
[33:54] Why creators of virtual real estates intentionally make it scarce
[35:08] How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will positively impact the crypto world
[37:34] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources:
Buyable: Your Guide to Building a Self-Managing, Fast-Growing, and High-Profit Business
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Van Carlson is the CEO of SRA 831(b) Admin, a company that helps private businesses set up their own captive self-insurance to cover oversized and unusual risks threatening their businesses. We talk about the 831(b) insurance captive, tax-efficient strategies for funding insurance premiums, and the risks your business should be protected against when setting up an insurance cover.
Time Stamps
[00:35] Van’s entrepreneurial journey
[03:29] Managing financial risk using captive insurance
[04:59] Van’s experience with management blueprints
[07:36] Technology and AI in the modern business environment
[09:52] Understanding the entrepreneurial myth
[10:39] The basics of the 831(b) insurance captive
[12:25] Liability insurance and protection against lawsuits
[16:02] Tax-efficient strategies for funding insurance premiums
[19:05] What to look out for before settling on an insurance cover
[22:22] Practical business size for creating a captive insurance vehicle
[25:25] The best way to set up a captive insurance plan and minimize on taxes
[27:45] Understanding the type of risks your insurance will cover
[28:59] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources:
Van’s email: van@831(b).com
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
Buyable: Your Guide to Building a Self-Managing, Fast-Growing, and High-Profit Business
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Eric Brotman is the CEO of BFG Financial Advisors, an independent firm assisting clients with wealth creation, preservation, and distribution. He is also the author of Don't Retire... Graduate!: Building a Path to Financial Freedom and Retirement at Any Age. We talk about multi-generational financial planning, the benefits of flexible leadership, and why retirement should not mean the end of your productive life.
Time Stamps
[00:43] Eric's entrepreneurial journey
[03:24] Eric's experience with management blueprints
[06:54] The benefits of flexible leadership
[09:31] Understanding visionary leadership and why it's so effective
[12:39] Why some entrepreneurs sell shares to their best-performing employees
[14:35] What is multi-generational planning?
[18:50] How multi-generational planning helps families avoid internal conflict
[21:47] How Eric helps young multi-generational planners gain experience in the field
[23:26] Eric's multi-generational planning and financial literacy tools
[27:07] Collaborative financial planning and the role of the advisor
[30:51] Why retirement should not mean the end of your productive life
[32:58] The retirement problem and why some retirees go back to working
[35:52] Growth drivers at Eric's firm BFG Financial Advisors
[38:11] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Don't Retire... Graduate by Eric Brotman
Don't Retire...Graduate Podcast
Buyable: Your Guide to Building a Self-Managing, Fast-Growing, and High-Profit Business
Complete the Buyability Assessment for Your Business