Afleveringen
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Did you know that every year, the government gives small business owners millions of dollars in funding? Most entrepreneurs arenât even aware that this type of assistance is available, let alone how to access it. Todayâs guest shares an inside look at how you can secure funding for your business.
Matthew Lesko is a well-known author, speaker, and advocate for government programs and benefits. He has dedicated his career to educating Americans about available government assistance, authoring over 20 books that have sold more than 4 million copies, including Get Government Money for Your Business.
Matthew gained national recognition through his engaging infomercials, which showcased various government grants and programs. He has made numerous appearances on popular television shows, including Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and The Tonight Show with David Letterman.
In recent years, Lesko has transitioned to a community-focused model with his platform, Lesko Help, which connects individuals with resources and support for navigating government benefits. With a community of over 15,000 members, he continues to empower people to access legitimate government programs that can enhance their quality of life.
The Free Money Economy
Although about 60% of our economy is capitalism (companies that want to take your money), the other 40% is what Matthew calls the free money economy: organizations that want to give you money. These are government offices, grants, and nonprofit organizations.
As the American economy grows, 10% of the population benefits while 90% of people are getting a smaller and smaller share of the pie. Matthewâs mission is to help the 90% find and use the government assistance thatâs already available.
How to Find Funding Opportunities
To look for funding opportunities, your first instinct might be to go to Googleâbut search engine rankings are determined by whoever is most effective at marketing.
Instead, search on government websites that end in .gov or nonprofit websites that end in .org. You can also try the database at sba.gov/local-assistance to search for more local opportunities. Another great resource for entrepreneurs is careeronestop.org. These job help centers often provide free training, grants, and even funding for you to grow and train your team.
Whenever possible, try to connect with a real human being rather than fill out an online application. The people who work for these organizations will be able to point you in the right direction.
Enjoy this episode with Matthew LeskoâŠ
Soundbytes
9:28-9:48
âOnce you're having fun, then I think that's where you find out what your superpowers are because you're what's special about you is usually what other people call weird. That's a clue, that's probably a superpower. You can do that better than anybody else.â13:54-14:23
âAbout 60% of everything in our economy is capitalism. On the other side, that's what I call the free money economy. Give out money. These people want to take money. You want your money, right? These people want to give you money. These are government offices and nonprofit organizations. I had no idea about all that stuff, but it represents 40% of everything in our economy is giving away money.Quotes
âThe most important decisions are those that other people think you're hurting yourself, but you're not.â
âYou make up reasons why it's okay not to follow your heart. And I just had to do it.â
âYour heart is smarter than your brain.â
âThose failures were a godsend. Because I wasn't having fun, I wasn't succeeding.â
âYou have to fail to grow.â
â40% of everything in our economy is giving away money.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: https://www.free.lesko.com/leskohelp
Connect with Matthew Lesko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesk0/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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Between employee burnout, working remotely, and economic stress, being a leader these days comes with its fair share of challenges. This weekâs podcast guest shares how to steer your team to success.
Karin Hurt is the Founder and CEO of Lets Grow Leaders, a global leadership company known for practical tools and leadership development programs that stick. A former Verizon Wireless executive with more than two decades of experience in sales, customer service, and human resources, Karin is known for growing courageous leaders, building great cultures, and inspiring high-performance teams.
Karin and her husband, David have helped tens of thousands of leaders on every continent (except Antarctica) with their leadership development programs and keynotes. They also provide clean water to the people of Cambodia through their Winning Wells philanthropic initiative. Karin is an award-winning author of five books and host of the popular LinkedIn show, Asking for a Friend. She was recently named by Inc. Magazine as a Top 100 Great Leadership Speaker.
Developing Leaders in Your Company
Lets Grow Leaders works with fast-growing startups to help them expand beyond the founder group. When you have a small team, everyone is a visionary and free to pursue their ideas. But once you reach 50 people, you need systems and processes. You need to create alignment throughout the organization.
The first step is to clarify your vision. Where is the company going and what are your most important things (what Karin calls MITs). What is your communication style? How are you how are you leading? How are you training and growing leaders within your company? Get everyone on the page.
Turning Conflict into Collaboration
After surveying 5,000 people in 45 countries, 70% said they were experiencing the same or significantly more workplace conflict than before the pandemic. More people are working remotely, some are feeling disconnected due to lingering mental health challenges. Others are experiencing burnout from understaffing and increased workload.
The biggest cause of conflict is a lack of shared expectations. As the leader, you might think youâve clearly communicated your expectations, but your team could have misinterpreted them.
If you tell your team they can work from anywhere, itâs worth clarifying what exactly that means. Do they still need to attend meetings in your time zone? Do they need to have their camera on? If you require people to come into the office, what are they expected to do with that time? Define what success looks like and share that definition with your team.
Enjoy this episode with Karin HurtâŠ
Soundbytes
10:16-10:32
âIt gets very frustrating because you do not have the systems and processes, and everybody is used to being able to come up with their idea and follow their idea, but you really need alignment and you need communication plans. You need all those foundational things.â15:03-15:28
âYou've got remote and hybrid teams. You've got people who are feeling disconnected with lingering mental health challenges. You've got burnout and understaffing, and all of that is emerging, and yet we're coming to people and saying, âYou've got to do more.â The economy is uncertain, and all of that is really creating a lot of stress and anxiety for people. And so we need to give people practical ways to collaborate.âQuotes
âThe biggest challenge that we're seeing right now is that there is so much conflict.â
âOn the other side of differences of opinion, that's where innovation really lies.â
âOne good conversation about expectations can prevent 14 âwhy didnât youâ conversations.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: https://letsgrowleaders.com/
Connect with Karin Hurt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-hurt/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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With the digital marketing world changing so fast, how can you keep up? Sunny Dublick shares her recommendations for effective marketing in 2025 and how your company can innovate to stay ahead of the curve.
Sunny is an award-winning marketing specialist and founder of Sunny Dublick Marketing. Sunny has spent over 15 years in the marketing and advertising industry, working with high-profile clients such as the Philadelphia 76ers and HanesBrands, as well as small and medium-sized businesses spanning the hospitality, retail, and professional services industries.
After nine years working for various advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments, Sunny set out on her own, forming Sunny Dublick Marketing to provide transparent and effective marketing solutions to businesses nationwide. Her strategies are designed to inspire creativity and enable clients to grow the best, most authentic version of their brand.
The Future of AI in Marketing
The digital marketing landscape is constantly shifting. Instead of fighting to stay ahead of the curve and keep up with rapidly changing technology, Sunny recommends slowing down. If you decide to incorporate something new, be intentional. Act from a place of purpose instead of fear of the future.
At one point, no one knew how to post on Facebook or run Google ads. There were a lot of unknownsâbut business owners and marketers figured it out over time. The same will be true for AI and these new technologies. The important part is to stay open and be willing to try new things.
If you want to incorporate AI into your marketing, Sunny recommends using it to kickstart ideas rather than write all of your content. It can be helpful for a first draft, so youâre not staring at a blank page, but it still needs a human touch. No one wants to read a blog post written entirely by AI.
The Importance of Innovation
The role of marketing in your organization goes beyond generating new leads. Your marketing team can also problem-solve across departments, inspire new offers, and overcome sales objections.
Instead of assuming thereâs a marketing problem when leads slow down, Sunny recommends starting at the source. Are your offerings still what your customers want? Is there room for innovation and growth? Has the market evolved?
Separating marketing from branding, sales, and finance doesnât serve your organization. This is why more and more companies are shifting away from Chief Marketing Officers to Chief Growth Officers or Brand Officers, to bridge different functions.
Enjoy this episode with Sunny DublickâŠ
Soundbytes
11:11-11:32
âPeople are looking forward to like, Metaverse and web 3.0 and how do we stay ahead of that? There's always been, for a really long time, a question mark of where things are going. And the worst thing that you can do, from a marketing perspective is just running after that shiny object and being like, I have to do this too, right?â23:20-23:42
âOftentimes companies will work with a marketing company and they'll have a fancy new logo, some pretty pictures on a website, and they're like, cool, we're done, right? That's what I call lipstick-on-a-pig marketing. You made it pretty. But at the end of the day, your offering is something that can and should change over time.âQuotes
âThe beautiful thing about marketing, especially digital marketing, is so much of what you need to know is available to be self-taught.â
âThe worst thing that you can do from a marketing perspective is run after that shiny object.â
âThe nature of marketing is one in which you always have to be agile, and you always have to be willing and able to try new things.â
âNow we can write six posts a day automatically, but just because you can doesn't mean you should.â
âMarketing can and should be something that bridges a lot of different functions within an organization, and you're only getting a tiny piece of it if you're keeping them pigeon-holed into these are the people that put up my social media posts and run some ads for me.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: http://sunnydublick.com
Connect with Sunny Dublick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnydublick/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form
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Just how safe is your business online? Fraud cases have more than doubled in recent years, while AI-driven scams are only growing more sophisticated. Todayâs guest shares how you can protect your business.
John King is an experienced business executive and IT consultant who has worked with many small, midsize, and Fortune 1000 companies. He has held various management positions including Controller, CIO, Director of Applications Development, and president of his own consulting company. His book The Compass Approach provides techniques for managing a business around the four points of the compass to achieve improved results.
Staying Safe Online
John is a founding member of TrustedAndTrue, a one-of-a-kind matchmaking service that addresses a growing concern in the dating industry: fraud and theft. TrustedAndTrueâs rigorous enrollment process eliminates the risk of individuals using fake identity credentials, giving users the security that everyone they interact with is who they say they are.
TrustedAndTrue stems from Johnâs work at The Authenticity Institute, an organization working to implement authenticity solutions in different industries. One of their latest innovations is the digital signature, which requires an in-depth identity verification process. To keep your business safe from scams, you could require a digital signature to access certain materials.
Unlike traditional passwords, the digital signature is virtually impossible to hack. Most information security technology aims to catch scammers after theyâve already broken into your records. Digital signatures could potentially prevent these crimes before they happen.
Marketing Across Industries
Because their technology can apply to so many industries, The Authenticity Institute looks for entrepreneurs with deep experience in a particular vertical. Those experts become the marketing team, spreading the word about authenticity technology in banking, healthcare, law, real estate, and even the music industry. Each industry has a unique perspective business plan.
Enjoy this episode with John KingâŠ
Soundbytes
16:24-16:39
âIf you have a business and you're counting on the person that you're working with from a vendor, that they're legit, right? You may not be successful with that. You may end up with a write-off you don't really want to have.â22:00-22:17
âIf you look at the information security market, it's growing by leaps and bounds. But they're operating on a premise where they âcatch the bad guysâ after the fact. We're saying we don't want to do that. We want to catch you before you go in.â31:40-32:03
âWhat happens is one of your vendors gets their email address hacked and they send you a request to send some information and give you a fake number, and all of a sudden, you send thousands of dollars to an address that you've not sent before. And you've got a problem.âQuotes
âThe key is having an entrepreneur who understands the marketplace and can say this is how it should work and this is how we can bring value to that particular marketplace.â
âThey're operating on a premise where they âcatch the bad guysâ after the fact. We want to catch them before.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: https://trustedandtrue.net/
Connect with John King on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/johnwkingii
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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What makes a compelling offer? According to Michael Barbarita, there are five essential elements that play a role in conversion.
Michael is the founder and CEO of Next Step CFO, providing fractional CFO services to small businesses. Michael has owned and operated retail, service, and manufacturing companies for over 30 years. One of his companies, Ski Town USA, grew from $2.5 Million to $8 million in less than 5 years. His product, Cookies To Scoop Frozen Cookie Dough was featured on the QVC Home Shopping Network and was one of the top 20 products in the State of Massachusetts in 1997.
The Conversion Formula
Michael takes all his clients through a four-step process to conversion. The first step is Captivate: get the customerâs attention by speaking to their problems and pain points. The second phase is Fascinate, where you present your unique solution to that problem. The combination of these two elements creates market dominance. Without either one, the rest of the formula falls apart.
The third component is Educate. Now that you have the customerâs attention, you can educate them on how to solve that problem. The final phase is the Close, which needs to be a compelling offer. Once you get this messaging formula right, you can use it on any marketing platform you choose.
5 Elements of Compelling Offer
There are five components to a compelling offer. The first is scarcity or urgency, something that compelled the customer to take action due a deadline or limited quantity.
The second component is risk reversal, where the business takes on most or all of the risk associated with the purchase. For example, in the ski industry, customers never know if their skis are truly the right fit until theyâre out on the mountain. So in Michaelâs business, he implemented âthe ski guaranteeâ where customers were allowed to try out their new skis up to three times risk-free. Out of the 11,000 pairs of skis they sold that year, only 14 customers returned them.
The third element of a compelling offer is adding more value to your product or service. The fourth is to package or bundle multiple products together, which gives the impression of a discount. The fifth and final element is to be indifferent to the outcome. Go into every sales conversation with the customerâs best interest in mind and youâll see your conversions increase.
Enjoy this episode with Michael BarbaritaâŠ
Soundbytes
10:18-10:33
âWe're all afraid of increasing our prices. But if we market it right and show value, and/or either market it right or show value or market it right and show value, we can charge anything.â20:58-21:33
âIf you sound like a used car salesperson, or if you look like you're pressing in any way, shape or form, to make a sale, the customer has this feeling that you're out for yourself and not for them. So you've got to present your selling, your sales presentations and so forthâŠyouâve got to be very detached from the outcome. And it's hard. It's hard to do, by the way, but you have to be detached from the outcome so that you can make that sale and the customer knows you have their best interests in mind.âQuotes
âWe always implemented business and financial strategies that the competition wasn't doing.â
âOnce you fail, you gotta get back on your feet quick. Otherwise, you're gonna stay down.â
âOnly 1-3% of any of buyers in any market, in any industry, at any moment is ready to buy now. The other 97-99% are on this journey, and that journey can last anywhere from 15 seconds to 15 years.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: http://www.nextstepcfo.net
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbarbarita/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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The digital marketing world has gone through a lot of changes in the past decade, but search engine optimization (SEO) remains as relevant as ever.
Jesse Ringer is the founder of Method and Metric search engine marketing agency. For over 10 years, he has helped business owners and marketing teams build winning SEO strategies for their organizations that drive website traffic and generate revenue.
Jesseâs passion for progression, creativity backed by data, and the democratization of tech have led him to build an agency focused on connecting data and people in an ethical and forward-thinking way. He is a creative problem solver, marketer, and entrepreneur, known for building high-performing teams and delivering results.
The Best Type of Content to Create in 2025
As AI becomes more commonly used in content writing, Jesse encourages his clients not to underestimate the value of human connection. Any business can pump out 50 articles per month using AI, but all those articles will sound identical. What makes great content is your brandâs unique voice, perspective, and ideas.
On a related note, donât create content just for the sake of ranking on Google. Write for lead generation, not just traffic. What type of content will actually drive revenue in your business? In most cases, this will mean going beyond how-to educational content.
What questions do your clients commonly ask you? Get clear on your target audience and their pain points, then create content that demonstrates your expertise in solving those problems.
The Website Optimization Process
To optimize your website, start by auditing your current system: what technology and plug-ins are you using? How is the website content organized? What keywords are you targeting and which are you actually ranking for? Then decide what your priorities are moving forward.
At this stage, Jesse usually builds out a list of recommendations for his clients: including updates to their keyword strategy, site architecture, website pages, blog content, as well as the technical implementation.
The next step is a roadmap for implementation. Depending on the changes that need to be made, it could take up to six months. Most clients start to see results within the first few months, with exponential growth around the six-month mark.
Enjoy this episode with Jesse RingerâŠ
Soundbytes
14:13-14:40
âWe could pump out 50 articles a month now, right? Okay, but they're gonna sound like all the other ones that are being pumped out right now. How do you continue to make this unique to your brand and resonate with your audience? If they're just producing content for the sake of ranking, great, but that's not like that's not going to be a driving force of their business.â20:59-21:17
âFind the thing that you do really well. And how do you put that into a guide to help educate your potential customers? When smarter customers see how helpful you are and how good you are at what you do, they'll be more inclined to work with you down the road.â27:10-27:36
âIf you're running paid ads or social ads, SEO is a way to lower customer acquisition costs. SEO is always on. Organic search is always on. If you decide to stop working, it will continue to help bring traffic in for quite some time after you pull the plug on that. Whereas ads, you turn it off, you don't see any more traffic from those ads.âQuotes
âI always wanted to have my own business. I just had no idea how I was going to get there.â
âClicks are not going to make you more money.â
âClicks are part of it. But if those clicks don't convert, it's wasted.â
âYou could rank number one for 1000 keywords, but if nobody searches for them, what good does it do?â
âSEO helps to inform the whole marketing strategy. It informs your website strategy and it serves a lot of other marketing channels.â
âAI is pulling from all of the internet, so you are just going to get the average of all of the internet. And I really hope you don't think your business is average.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: https://methodandmetric.com
Connect with Jesse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseringer/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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When Luke Boyengerâs family business went bankrupt in the 2007-2008 financial crisis, it ignited an unexpected passion.
After witnessing the painful closure of his fatherâs business, Luke began to look around at the other companies that survived the same financial crisis. What did they have in common? The answer came down to accounting and finances.
Luke has since dedicated his career to mastering the art of successful business management. This mission led him to pursue a degree in accounting, secure his CPA license, and start a company of his own: Cruzumi CFO & Advisory, where he helps business owners increase profits and improve cash flow.
The Strategic Value of Accounting
Many business owners view accounting as a necessary evil. But Luke says it should be a major value driver in the business, beyond just filing taxes. Understanding your finances allows you to make data-driven decisions about how to grow your business. Without that data, youâre simply guessing.
As a business owner, it's easy to spend all day on busy work that doesnât actually move the needle. Quality financial data helps you determine which tasks drive revenue and create value in the companyâand which tasks donât.
Your CFO (whether fractional or full-time) should be producing budgets, cash flow forecasts, and projections. They should meet with you regularly as a strategic advisor to help you build the financial roadmap to achieve your business goals.
When Should You Hire a Fractional CFO?
Luke is often asked about the best time to hire a fractional CFO vs. a full-time employee. In most cases, a part-time fractional CFO is the more cost-effective solution. But it doesnât just come down to revenueâwhat matters is the complexity of the business.
Some questions worth considering are: What stage of business are you in? What are your growth goals? How are you planning to achieve those goals?
If you have a simple business model and modest growth goals, it makes sense to hire a fractional CFO. If you have a complex model, ambitious growth goals, and plan to sell your company or buy other businesses, a full-time CFO is probably worth the investment.
Enjoy this episode with Luke BoyengerâŠ
Soundbytes
3:29-3:53
âI looked at what happened in my dad's business, and I looked around and saw all these other businesses that did not go bankrupt during the exact same financial crisis. And I was like, Well, why? Why did they survive and we didn't? Something's different about their businesses than ours. And I knew just enough at that point to understand that it was something about accounting and finance.â7:58-8:19
âSo many business owners view accounting as a necessary evil or just want to do the bare minimum to be able to file a tax return. The only reason companies do accounting is they can file taxes. There's no other reason to do accounting other than filing taxes, right? No, that's not true at all.â8:20-8:49
âAccounting should be a value driver in the business in terms of the quality of data and analysis and information that they're able to put in front of a business owner to allow them to make strategic decisions about how they're going to drive growth in a profitable organization that they're trying to build. Without that flow of really high-quality, timely data coming out of a well-built accounting function, it's impossible to do that.âQuotes
âThis is how I take the skill set that I've developed and deploy it in a way that's actually meaningful to me because I'm getting to work with business owners that I'm passionate about.â
âAccounting should be a value driver in the business.â
âI want my pricing to be at about 25% of the value that we add.â
âMarketing works best when you focus it.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: https://cruzumi.com/
Connect with Luke on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-boyenger
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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Good writing is the foundation of thought leadership. Whether you choose to write articles online, publish a book, or a combination of both, thereâs no way around it: writing is an essential skill for any entrepreneur looking to build their authority. Todayâs guest is here to help you sharpen your storytelling skills.
As the founder of The Institute for Thought Leadership, Rhea Wessel helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses through story smarts. She advises on messaging, AI writing, and finding and articulating your best ideas. As a journalist, Rhea wrote thousands of stories for outlets like the NYT, WSJ, and BBC, and has penned and edited thousands of stories across 30 industries.
Becoming a Thought Leader
Thereâs no formula for becoming a thought leaderâbut there are shortcuts. Writing a book is one of the fastest ways to skyrocket your authority. Publishing a book can help you gain invitations to speak on bigger stages, which leads to more sales, more invitations, and so on. Books can also be repurposed into social media posts, newsletters, and blogs.
Rhea recommends publishing one book per year. If youâre just dipping your toe into the thought leadership world, you might want to start with online content. But donât be afraid to pursue bigger publicationsâone great article could change your business.
The 3-Step Process for Thought Leadership Writing
The first step in establishing thought leadership is to know your niche. What is your area of expertise and how are you going to distinguish yourself from others in the industry?
Once youâre clear on your niche, look for creative ways to frame it. When youâre writing about the same topics over and over again, you need fresh ways of framing your ideas. For example, you could repeat the same story, but frame it through the lens of a different audience. If you have more than one ideal customer avatar (ICA), this technique can help you generate new story ideas.
The last step is to flesh out your ideas and start writing. Rhea recommends always having an editor or friend review your work. Everything you publish is a reflection of your brand, so quality matters.
Enjoy this episode with Rhea WesselâŠ
Soundbytes
6:47-7:19
âYou need to have a writing practice if you're going to be constantly finding new ideas to serve your audience and externalizing those. You need to have ways to take a thought that's just emerging, capture it, and potentially park it for a while until it matures and you're ready to turn that into a piece of intellectual property.â12:53-13:11
âI am using generative AI daily and It has changed the way I gather information, it's changed the way that I collect it, and also how I write my articles.âQuotes
âWriting is thinking on paper.â
âThought leadership practice lives off intellectual property.â
âThere are so many great ideas, but they're not being heard.â
âI want to help the world's true subject matter experts get their best ideas out there.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Website: http://www.instituteforthoughtleadership.com
Connect with Rhea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rheawessel/
Write Like a Thought Leader Book: https://getbook.at/WriteLikeThoughtLeader
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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What do all great brands have in common? They create a meaningful experience for their customersâsomething Stu Synder is an expert in.
Stu is the Founder and President of Snyder Media Group, LLC., creating content and providing strategic guidance to media, live entertainment, and start-up companies.
Chances are, youâre already familiar with Stuâs work. Maybe you watched Cartoon Network or Adult Swim during his long tenure at Turner Broadcasting System. Perhaps youâve seen a film he helped bring to screens, such as Terminator 2: Judgement Day or Reservoir Dogs. Or maybe youâve attended Disney on Ice or a Ringling Brothers show. Most recently, Stu is the co-owner of Beal's Lobster Pier, an iconic restaurant and lobster pier on Mount Desert Island, Maine.
The one thing that all of Stu's projects have in common is that they offer people memorable experiences.
Exceed Your Customersâ Expectations
Stu lives by the rule of over-delivering. When someone walks into his restaurant, he aims to put a smile on their faceâwhether thatâs with great customer service, decorations on their takeout box, or an extra gift with their order. It might even involve taking the customer for a walk to show them where the lobsters come in.
Itâs all about the experience and making them feel connected to your brand. When you exceed expectations, thatâs what turns customers into advocates.
Equally important is how you deal with customers when things go wrong. Stu personally responds to every review of his restaurant, positive or negative. If itâs positive, he thanks them for coming in. If itâs not, he uses it as a learning opportunity and lets the customer know how he plans to correct the issue. The most important thing is to make your customers feel heard and taken care of.
Building an Entrepreneurial Team
As any business owner knows, building a team comes with its fair share of challenges. It can be difficult to keep everyone on the same page moving toward your vision. Stu takes a unique approach, encouraging his team to think like entrepreneursâto look for out-of-the-box solutions, be creative, and take calculated risks.
If youâre the leader, itâs your job to give your team direction. But you should also listen to their input on that direction. Set targets together so everyone stays accountable.
In the hiring process, Stu recommends focusing on personality just as much (if not more so) than their work experience. Get to know the person, their communication style, and their interests. Would they get along with the other people on your team? Does their communication style work well with yours? Look for people who want positive relationships with their professional peers. Strong connections within your team make for a healthier business.
Enjoy this episode with Stu SnyderâŠ
Soundbytes
17:13-17:37
âIf someone comes in expecting this, I want to over-deliver and exceed their expectations, whether that is the time that they hit Beal's or they get a little thing, someone orders from deals a box of lobsters, or Lunchable kids. How do we over exceed that expectation and put a smile on their face? What do we put in the box? How is the box decorated? How do we deliver on that experience?â18:47-19:01
âYou're not going to take care of 100% of the people and satisfy everyone. It's also when things go wrong or they're not perfect, how do we respond to them? How do we take care of them? Because that's critical to me.â24:13-24:35
âI like to keep growing. I like working with different teams and learning, because I personally feel that if you if one stays too long in one place, you're only learning one set of disciplines. This is the way we did it. Well, what I wanted to learn was different ways of doing things and then apply it to my overall skill set. âQuotes
âMaking people feel special, making people become advocates for your show or advocates for your brand is very important.â
âOver-delivering is critical.â
âHow do we make people feel special, especially in a world that we're living in, where I think people are looking for that.â
âBeing a leader was encouraging my team to think as entrepreneurs.â
âNever take yourself too seriously.â
âYour team needs direction. They need to know where theyâre headed.â
âIf I'm making a hiring decision after one hour, I'm not doing my job.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Visit Stuâs website: https://stuartsnyder.com/
Connect with Stu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartsnyder/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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Welcome to our special 200th episode! Weâre thrilled to mark this milestone with none other than Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a former NBA All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, and current President of the NBA G League. Shareefâs incredible journey from professional athlete to business leader is packed with lessons on leadership, personal growth, and making an impact.
Reflecting on the Journey Beyond the Court
In this milestone episode, Shareef shares how he transitioned from a celebrated NBA career into a dynamic role on the business side of sports. From his time as a player to leading the NBA G Leagueâs expansion to 31 teams and its first international team in Mexico City, Shareef reveals how he embraced change and built on his strengths to create a meaningful second act.
For leaders and entrepreneurs, Shareef offers valuable insights into the importance of setting a clear vision, leading by example, and building trust within a team. He emphasizes that leadership isnât always about charismaâitâs about consistency, care, and a shared commitment to success.
The Power of Personal Branding
Shareef discusses the importance of personal branding, especially for young professionals and athletes. In todayâs social media-driven world, understanding and leveraging your brand can open doors to lifelong opportunities. Shareef shares practical advice on how to balance authenticity with strategy to build a brand that aligns with your values and goals.
This episode also highlights the incredible ability of sports to bring people together, regardless of background or beliefs. Shareefâs dedication to creating opportunities for the next generationâboth on and off the courtâserves as a reminder of how we can all use our platforms to make a difference.
Thank you for being part of our journey to 200 episodes! This special conversation with Shareef Abdur-Rahim is packed with inspiration, and we canât wait for you to listen.
Soundbytes
11:54-12:20
"I think the ability to be able to one outline a vision for people, you know, I just think our coach meeting us at the beginning saying, Okay, this is our objective. So being able to outline a vision of where you want to go, a plan, to articulate a plan."15:51-16:22
"I think it starts with education, especially for young people. Weâre in an era of name, image, and likeness opportunities, and the social media boom has opened so many doors. Itâs incredible to see young athletes, even as early as high school, learning to leverage these opportunities to build something lasting for their future."20:55-21:20
"One of the great things about sport is how it humbles you naturally. Being part of a team teaches you that your success relies on others. Itâs about understanding the necessity of working together, recognizing the value of everyoneâs contributions, and staying grounded in the process."
_____________________________________Quotes
"The power of sport is its ability to bring communities together, regardless of background or beliefs."
"Leadership starts with outlining a vision, crafting a plan, and exemplifying the behavior you want to see."
"As athletes, we must leverage our experiences to build something meaningful for life beyond the game."
_____________________________________
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Visit Shareef Abdur-Rahim's Website: https://Shareefabdurrahim.com
Connect with Shareef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shareef-abdur-rahim/
Learn more about Future Foundation: https://future-foundation.com
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form
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When Nick Barrett launched his company in 2020, he had no experience in product development. Just a few years later, his products have appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, ABC Secret Sales, and the Tamron Hall Show. Theyâve also been endorsed by Sharks from ABC's Shark Tank. His product, the CordBrick, was voted "Coolest Product" by attendees of the National Retail Federation BIG SHOW in NYC in 2023.
Creating a Unique Product
Nick built his first prototype of the CordBrick out of modeling clay from Michaelâs. He knew the design needed to be simple, clean, and mass-market-friendly.
Nick recommends all product-based entrepreneurs find a unique angle or design to help differentiate from the competitionâand that once you find that unique aspect, protect it. The CordBrick has multiple patents, including utility and intellectual property.
Share Your Idea as Much as Possible
Nickâs biggest advice to other entrepreneurs is to share your idea with as many people as possible. Some founders are worried about people stealing their ideas, but the benefits outweigh the risks. An outside perspective can help you see your product in a new light and come up with better solutions.
Another benefit is that the more information you give people, the more likely they are to introduce you to their network and connect you with the right people.
Likewise, Nick recommends consulting with other entrepreneurs who have done the thing youâre trying to accomplish. Look into what made those people successful. Read their biographies, and if youâre able, reach out and connect with them. But when you ask for advice, focus on the big picture. The industry and technology may have changed, but the principles remain the same.
Enjoy this episode with Nick BarrettâŠ
Soundbytes
10:17-10:38
âHow much would people really pay to solve this problem? Like $5? So one of the first things I did was I took these and I took them to a little shopping center near me, and people told me they would pay not just five, but $10. Some people even told me $20. Several people told me 20 and I was like, Wow, that's crazy. I can't believe people would pay that much to solve this. I might be able to have a business out of this.â11:58-12:24
âDon't be afraid to share your idea with a lot of people. I think people keep things too close to their chest for too long, and they either don't do anything, or they get stuck on a couple of thoughts. They either haven't diagnosed the problem correctly, or there's a solution they haven't considered, and just by talking to people, I would say I've gained so much more benefit from talking to people.âQuotes
âDon't be afraid to share your idea with a lot of people.â
âThe more you share, the more information people can give you about how to help you better or introduce you to the right person.â
âItâs more work than you think, but that doesn't mean not to do it.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
CordBrick: https://cordbrick.com/
Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-barrett-0781491a/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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Did you know that employees are more likely to stay at an organization when they view their leader as empathetic?
Of all the traits that make for great leadership, empathy is near the top of the listâand according to this weekâs podcast guest, itâs going to be increasingly important for the next generation.
Pattie Dale Tye is the Consulting COO for Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC and a Board Member of Trilogy Health Services, LLC. Pattie Dale is also a C-suite veteran with over 30 years of experience leading companies to new heights. She spent over a decade with AT&T, leading sales and operations for the companyâs largest accounts. In her time with Humana, Pattie Dale was instrumental in the companyâs multibillion-dollar Large Employer Segment. She is also the best-selling Forbes Author of Ordinary to Extra-Ordinary.
Challenges for the Next Generation of Leaders
Any entrepreneur who led a team through the pandemic knows how difficult it can be to connect virtually. Leaders need to model behavior, and thatâs much more difficult to do online. Pattie recommends meeting in person as much as possible. If thatâs not possible, look for ways to bring the whole team together for virtual events.
Another challenge is that Gen Z and millennials donât have a lot of trust in leadershipâso you need to work harder to earn their loyalty. Theyâre driven by purpose, autonomy, and flexibility, and they want to work for leaders who share those values. Look for ways to demonstrate those values and show that you care about them as individuals.
Leading with Empathy and Generosity
According to Pattie Dale, the two most important characteristics of a leader are empathy and generosity. You need to know the people youâre leading and understand where they're coming from. Let them know that youâre invested in their success and that they can come to you when they need support.
As for generosity, focus on giving back to your team. Replace a âsurvival of the fittestâ mentality with generosity. If someone is struggling, offer to help. Make yourself available. Being approachable can help you get the best of everyone.
Enjoy this episode with Pattie Dale TyeâŠ
Soundbytes
14:00-14:26
âWhen itâs a customer with a problem that I can help solve in a way that helps that entity flourish, it just lights me up, because you know that had a multiplier effectâthat didn't just help that person, that executive that day, or that leader that day, that allowed them to feed many, many families and to grow business in a much more expansive way.â18:46-19:24
âWe need to be leading with empathy right now. And I love to say you need to be leading with generosity. You need to get to know the people youâre leading and understand where they're coming from and why they have the notions about leadership they do, because we understand that 50% of the Gen Z's don't have respect nor trust in leadership, and we need to. We need to get to the root cause and let them know that you have as much vested in their success as hopefully they have in their own success.âQuotes
âI was very ordinary until I learned what might make me extraordinary.â
âAs long as I'm helping solve a problem and release energy to the universe, I'm a happy camper.â
âStop coming to work in a survival mode and come to work in a giving mode.â
âIf you're not an approachable leader, you're not going to get the best out of your people.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
From Our Guest
Visit Pattieâs website: http://pattiedaletye.com
Connect with Pattie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattie-dale-tye/
Connect with brandiD
Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/
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Do you ever feel like there just arenât enough hours in the day? As a business owner, your to-do list is virtually never-ending. But what if you could grow your business faster by doing less? Todayâs podcast guest is proof that itâs possible.
Rodric Lenhart is a lifelong entrepreneur, multi-best-selling author, and sought-after speaker. Over the last 30 years, heâs built several multi-million dollar companies in both the product and service industries. Having traveled to more than 50 countries across six continents, Rodric brings a unique worldview and a deep appreciation for freedom. All profits from his book Million Dollar Flip Flops are donated to his foundation, Send a Student Leader Abroad, with the goal of sending one million kids on life-changing trips.
Build Your Business Around Your Life
Like most successful business owners, Rodric is very protective of his time. He wakes up in the sun and has a structured morning routine, after which he works from around 10:00 to 3:00 pm. Itâs important for him to leave empty space on the calendar for reading, writing, and introspection. That quiet time is crucial for developing the business. When youâre busy all day everyday, that leaves little room for new ideas.
If youâre trying to find your ideal daily routine, ask yourself what you want your day to look like a year from nowâthen build a business that fuels that, instead of the other way around.
Advice for New Entrepreneurs
Rodric has two pieces of advice for new entrepreneurs: the first is to turn off social media. Forget what everyone else is doing and focus on your business and your customers. Donât get lost in the comparison game.
Second, try to avoid Shiny Object Syndrome. Itâs easy to get sucked into the newest app or strategy, but successful businesses are built on the basics. Be willing to pick up the phone and have conversations with people. Figure out what your target audience wants and needs, then give it to them. Let them tell you what they want, instead of trying to impose your ideas on them. Listen and learn.
Enjoy this episode with founder Rodric LenhartâŠ
Soundbytes
11:29-11:51
âIâm very protective of my time. I haven't set an alarm in probably 15 years. I wake up with the sun. I have a very set morning routine, and I try to work between around 10:00 and 3:00 every day. And I make a lot of time for reading and introspection and writing and developing the business, not just being busy all the time.â21:10-21:36
âItâs shiny object syndrome, the next cool app or program, the next customer acquisition method. That's not what's going to give you a successful business. It's back to the basics. It's having conversations with people. It's being willing to pick up the phone. It's learning what do they want, what do they need? That's how you know what to give them, versus thinking you have this idea of what to give them.âQuotes
âThe bulk of my financial abundance came from the ability to change course.â
âWhat do you want your day to look like a year from now? And let's build a business that feeds that, not the other way around.â
âWhy write a book? Well, it's to help people who are in the same situation I might have been in 20 years ago.â
âUltimately, it all comes from a place of service. And I think if we aren't wired that way to start, none of the other things fall into place.â
âI donât know what chapter two looks like, but I know I can't see it while I'm in the middle of chapter one.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
Million Dollar Flip Flops: http://www.milliondollarflipflops.com/
Connect with Rodric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodriclenhart/
Connect with Rodric on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodriclenhart/
Connect with brandiD: Download our free guide to learn 16 crucial website updates that attract more leads and convert visitors into clients: https://thebrandid.com/website-tweaks/
Ready to elevate your digital presence with a powerful brand or website? Contact us here: https://thebrandid.com/contact-form/ -
Marketing your business on a budget?
In this episode, Michael Herklots shares how he used the power of storytelling and personal branding to build his luxury cigar business from the ground up.
Michael has worked in the Premium Cigar Industry since 1999. He served as Vice President of Nat Sherman International, responsible for creating and maintaining the companyâs portfolio of premium cigars, pipe tobaccos, and accessories. Most recently, he is the co-founder of Ferio Tego, which has been named the âBrand of the Yearâ by Cigar Dojo and âNew Company of the Yearâ by Halfwheel.
Michael is a Certified Master Tobacconist by Tobacconist University and a thoughtful business leader with 20 years of experience in specialty retail and wholesale luxury goods.
The Power of Storytelling
When Michael and his co-founder decided to launch a cigar company during COVID-19, there was no shortage of obstacles. Aside from the challenge of selling cigars during a respiratory pandemic, they also had limited capital. Without the budget to hire a marketing team or ad agency, they leaned on something more powerful: their story.
Over and over again, they told the story of Ferio Tego, their backgrounds in the cigar industry, and their vision for the brand. Both Michael and his co-founder Brendon Scott had plenty of connections in the cigar world, but they took a unique approach to every conversation.
Every time they met with a potential partner, they would lean into different aspects of their story. For instance, smaller companies were more likely to relate to their story of bootstrapping the business from the ground up, while larger companies wanted to see the data and volume.
Innovate the Process, Not the Product
In todayâs fast-paced world, many companies shift their marketing and add new products every weekâbut ultimately, that hurts your brand recognition and makes it harder for retailers to sell your products. The more consistent you stay, the greater the chance consumers will start to relate to and remember your brand.
While the Ferio Tego brand is consistent, Michael is constantly innovating other aspects of the business. He and his co-founder have taken a unique approach in partnering with other cigar companies. They now have factories in multiple countries without the overhead of managing their own warehouses.
Enjoy this episode with founder Michael HerklotsâŠ
Soundbytes
17:46-18:30
âNew businesses, we donât have a marketing budget, we donât have an advertising agency. We don't have four people who are building decks on what is Ferio Tego and what isn't Ferio Tego and creating all of those thoughtful pyramids. Who has time for that? We're fighting for our lives every day, trying to get another sale. And so what we lack in that sophisticated, deep infrastructure of brand, we have what a lot of those departments crave and try to create which is the absolute authentic story of time served and process and how we do things.â19:20-19:37
âWhat they are trying to do is to create brands that feel authentic, whereas we have, just as a consequence of being a small startup, we're creating a brand that is authentic. What you see is what you get.â27:09-27:37
âAs a Brand Builder and a storyteller, it's incumbent on me to tell the same story over and over and over again consistently, so that you as a retailer, can tell the same story over and over to your consumers. The consumers can learn that story and share it with their peers, and by the time they learn it, they can catch back up with the brand, and we're still singing the same song. We've abandoned that in so many industries.â54:04-54:50
âThere are times when you look at something that just seems so overwhelming, whether it's something as small as playing a gig, or something as big as launching a company. And to get over the hump of it, I have to believe that the opportunity and the idea and the considerationâall of the work has been done for a reason. All those opportunities are lined up for a reason and therefore I have to have faith that this is meant to be.âQuotes
âTheyâre trying to create brands that feel authentic, whereas we, as a consequence of being a small startup, are creating a brand that is authentic.â
âAs a Brand Builder and a storyteller, it's incumbent on me to tell the same story over and over and over again consistently.â
âItâs become innovative to go back to building the brand.â
âIt's probably naive to think that it's possible to be everything to everyone. What I try to do is be something to everyone.â
âI don't know anyone who would consider themselves an expert. Even the most famous, most successful are still practicing all the time.â
âYou have to live within what's authentic to you and let your audience find you.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
Learn more about Ferio Tego cigars: https://www.feriotego.com/
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelherklots/
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Have you ever heard the saying âSuccess is a lousy teacher?â
Our biggest learning experiences come from failure: the product that flopped, the content that didnât perform, the âfailedâ business idea. For Anne Montgomery, failure was just the beginning.
Anne is a former television sportscaster, writer, and educator. Her first TV job came at WRBL-TV in Columbus, Georgia, and led to positions at WROC-TV, KTSP-TV, and ESPN, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award-winning SportsCenter. She finished her on-camera broadcasting career with a two-year stint as the studio host for the NBAâs Phoenix Suns, before moving into her career as a teacher and author.
Her novels include Your Forgotten Sons, The Castle, A Light in the Desert, Wild Horses on the Salt, The Scent of Rain, and Wolf Catcher. She taught journalism and communication skills in a Title I high school for 20 years.
Defying the Odds
When Anne told her parents she wanted to be a sportscaster, they laughed. In the 1970s, that wasnât an option for women. But Anne proved them wrong and went on to have a successful 40+ year career in sports.
Likewise, she was also told she would never go to college. Growing up, Anne struggled in school, and it wasnât until she was in her fifties that she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Despite that, Anne has several degrees and has published six novels (and counting).
Failure is the Greatest Teacher
One of the most important skills any entrepreneur can master is how to bounce back from failure. For Anne, failure has been her greatest teacher. She never planned on becoming a writer or an educatorâshe was forced into a career change when the men in her industry decided she was too old to be on camera.
At the time, leaving sportscasting felt like a failure. But it led Anne to her most rewarding career yet, a life-changing friendship that inspired her first novel, and even the family she couldnât have dreamed of, when her teaching experience led her to become a foster parent.
Enjoy this episode with author Anne MontgomeryâŠ
Soundbytes
31:25-31:53
âBusiness owners like to hire people who've been in sports or actually any extracurricular. You know how to be punctual or you're not playing, you know how to work as a teammate, and you know how to follow rules, all those things. And of those young athletes, I wouldn't want to hire the kid who caught the game-winning touchdown. I want to hire the kid who dropped the game-winning touchdown, that went to practice the next day. That's the kid I want.â35:17-35:37
âI sometimes feel bad for people who are such incredible athletes or singers or actors or whatever, where everything is always perfect because at some point it's not going to be. How do you handle that? We all have to learn to handle failure, and how you handle it is more important than anything we do. You know? How do you handle disappointment? Get back up and do it.âQuotes
âI was told when I was young that Iâd never be a sportscaster. Iâm the kind that says, âIâll prove you wrong.ââ
âWe plan our lives and think itâs going to be a straight line, but itâs not. Itâs how you handle the curves.â
âIâm not embarrassed about anything thatâs ever happened to me. Theyâre all learning experiences.â
âWe learn nothing from success. We learn from failure.â
âLife isnât going to be exactly what you expect, but maybe it will be better.â
âI think failure is falling down and not getting back up.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
Visit Anneâs website: https://annemontgomerywriter.com/
Connect with Anne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-montgomery-1b995b23/
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Are you thinking of starting a podcast? Or maybe you already have a show and are wondering how to take it to the next level? Todayâs guest shares everything you need to know to launch and grow a successful, purpose-driven podcast.
Erik Cabral is a leading expert in brand development, trusted by Fortune 100 and Inc. 5000 companies to define and deliver their core messages. Having built thousands of brands over his career, Erik has shared the stage with powerhouse brands like Shark Tank's Matt Higgins and Kevin Harrington, VaynerMedia, David Meltzer, and Hal Elrod of the Miracle Morning.
As the founder of On Air Brands, Be Your Brand, PodMAX, and theMindado Investment Group, Erik is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs develop their personal and corporate brands through podcasting and media strategies. His work has been featured in major publications and has contributed to raising millions in capital for his investor clients.
Preventing Podfade
After launching dozens of podcasts, Erik says the biggest obstacle is âpodfadeââwhere a podcast gradually disappears over time because they run out of content ideas. Thousands of new shows were created in the past few years, but very few of them survived past 20 episodes. The reason comes down to a lack of purpose. If you donât have a clear goal for your show, itâs unlikely to last.
Thatâs why Erikâs company has shifted more into personal branding. Before launching a podcast, be clear on your goals, your mission, and who you want to serve. Focus on your purpose, because thatâs what makes great content.
In Erikâs own business, heâs rebranded his podcast to The Erik Cabral Show and is focused on incorporating his faith into his brand. His mission is to build personal brands that glorify God and speaking openly about that has helped attract people who share those values.
What to Know Before Starting a Podcast
If you want to start a podcast, the first step is to manage your expectations. The average number of downloads per episode is 29. That may not sound like a lot, but even a small audience can create momentum in your business! If you have 30 loyal listeners every week, thatâs the same as having 30 people in a room who are eager to learn from you. Donât believe the noise on social media that says you need massive numbers to create an impact.
When it comes to growing your show, podcasting is like starting a business. It starts with word of mouth and your personal network. Most of the biggest podcasts are hosted by someone who already had a personal brand with a large following. Audience growth is a slow build, so donât give up too soon.
Enjoy this interview with podcasting expert Erik CabralâŠ
Soundbytes
13:47-14:06
âIt's what we call pod fade: all these shows got started, and the statistics are running away from me, but all the hundreds of thousands of podcasts that started during that era, we benefited from, for sure, but then a lot of them faded because they didn't have clarity and purpose and an end goal in mind.â15:05-15:25
âIf I asked you to speak at my event and there were 30 people in the room that were going to be hungry and eager to learn from you, and you have an hour-long opportunity to get into their minds and in their heartsâŠwould you take that? Absolutely. You have this every week you're speaking on your own stage about whatever you want to talk about every single week.â33:32-24:04
âThere is a purpose outside of money. Your purpose could be money and earthly things and earthly desires and material things. But I've recognized, and I've been around a lot of successful peopleâŠsharing the room in stages with millionaires and billionaires. I've recognized there are people that aren't happy with all that money, but the ones that are have that greater purpose, and they're usually God fearing people that know there's something bigger than themselves beyond this life here on Earth.âQuotes
âPodcasting is very much like starting a business. We have to start with friends and family, word of mouth. We have to grassroots.â
âHaving a podcast, especially with a YouTube channel, you're set apart for most business owners who don't want to do that.â
âWe want to build personal brands that glorify God.â
âBuilding a business is personal. It comes from us, our heart.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
Visit Erikâs website: https://www.erikcabral.co/
Free podcasting guide: https://www.erikcabral.co/guide
Connect with Erik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikcabral/
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The transition from solopreneur to CEO is never easy. It can be hard to let go of control and trust your team to deliver an ROI. Todayâs guest shares how you can break through that 6-figure plateau and set your team up for million-dollar success with a sales-focused marketing strategy.
Victoria Hajjar, founder of Ugli Ventures, helps female-founded startups scale from 6 to 7 figures. She specializes in the sales and marketing strategies, team building, and leadership development they need to build profitable 7-figure enterprises. Her clients have had million-dollar months, been featured on Forbes 40 under 40, and several have passed the billion-dollar revenue mark.
How to Build an ROI-Driven Team
Victoria uses a 4-step process to help her clients transition into an executive role. The first step is brand clarity: getting focused (or re-focused) on your messaging, ideal client, and positioning. Before you can build a successful marketing strategy, you need to be clear on your ideal clientâs pain points and the transformation you provide.
The next step is a sales-focused marketing strategy. Victoria recommends a 24/7 content flywheel that speaks to all six stages of the customer journey. Once you have a funnel in place, measure the performance of each piece. Look at your conversion rates to determine where the leaks are, then optimize accordingly.
Once youâve optimized your funnel, evaluate your team. If conversions are low in a particular area, it could be because the person assigned to that task isnât an expert. A common hiring mistake is expecting each person to do multiple jobs. If you canât afford to have more employees on retainer, hire an independent contractor with a proven track record. For example, if your website conversions are low, hire a user experience expert to solve the issue on a project basis.
The last step is leadership. Are the right people in the right seats, and are you managing them well? Each team member should know which metrics theyâre responsible for and bring ideas for improvement.
3 Essential Marketing Meetings
Even if your team is mostly independent contractors, you should still include them in your quarterly planning meetings. This keeps everyone on the same page as you move toward your goals.
You should also meet weekly to review your marketing scorecard. Let each team member report their own metrics and offer feedback and ideas. Regular communication eliminates silos within your company.
Lastly, take the time to sit down monthly or quarterly with key people on your team. Ask them to tell you about whatâs going on in their life, the challenges theyâre facing, their career path, and any resources or training they might need. Investing time in your team pays off in long-term loyalty.
Enjoy this episode with founder Victoria HajjarâŠ
Soundbytes
4:01-4:30
âI bring a fresh perspective because I've been inside so many people's businesses over my 15-year career. Not only inside different businesses but also in different countries around the world. Iâve worked in China, I've worked in Mexico, I've worked in Dubai, and the UKâŠand what's been really great is figuring out this universal approach. How do you grow and scale a business using marketing as the catapult for growth?â7:32-7:51
âWe have to make a transition. And the transition is from doing everything ourselves and feeling like we have to execute everything ourselves, especially when it comes to marketing and sales, and beginning to take that path towards stepping into the leadership role in your business.â21:47-22:08
âBuilding your team doesn't mean that you need to get a bunch of employees and have a ton of people on retainer, but you have to systematically, in an intelligent way, invest in the growth of your business. That means getting people in who have proven track records that really know what they're doing in particular areas.âQuotes
âAny business can use marketing as a catapult for growth, it just depends how the business is setup.â
âOnce our time, money, energy, and budget gets split across different efforts, that's where we also tend to see that dip in performance.â
âEven if you donât consider yourself a leader, you are. Your team is looking to you.â
âSo many of us as business owners, but especially women, we think that someone will like us more if we're in the trenches with them, instead of as a leader.â
âYouâre not going to build a million-dollar business, a 7- or 8-figure business, by being too nice.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
Ugli Ventures: http://www.ugliventures.com
Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-hajjar/
24/7 Marketing Flywheel resource: https://www.ugliventures.com/overwhelm
Learn more about Victoriaâs accelerator program: https://www.ugliventures.com/accelerator
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How do you sell someone a product they donât know they need?
When Sheri Chaney Jones launched her impact management platform, most of her customers didnât even know what impact management was. A few years later, itâs become an industry standard.
Sheri is a renowned social entrepreneur and impact measurement expert. With over two decades of experience, she has transformed the efficacy of nonprofits and government organizations through data-driven strategies. As the founder of Measurement Resources Company and SureImpact, she's dedicated to enhancing social sector performance. Sheri is also an author, professor, and advocate for women's equity, holding degrees from Central Michigan University and The Ohio State University.
Create Your Own Category
As a consultant, Sheriâs job was to build impact measurement frameworks to help nonprofit organizations understand the effectiveness of their programs. She worked with each client to determine which data to collect and how to collect it, but the process was very manual. She started searching for software that would keep that information at their fingertips, and when she couldnât find it, she created it.
When Sheri launched SureImpact in 2020, it was the first impact management platform on the marketâa term that no one else was using, but her competitors have since rebranded to include.
From Service Provider to Software Company
In Sheriâs consulting business, she knew how to do every job. Launching SureImpact was a new challenge because she didnât know how to code software. While sheâs still the CEO, she had to learn how to pitch angel investors, find the right team, and report to a board.
As the first software of its kind, SureImpact has done a lot of market education. In 2020, most nonprofits didnât account for impact measurement in their budget because they didnât know it was possible.
In the early stages, Sheri hesitated to leverage her personal brand and network. As a tech CEO, she didnât think personal branding was as relevant as it had been to her consulting company. But she realized it was her experience that inspired SureImpactâand that if she wanted to break into the market, she needed to share her story.
Now, Sheri leverages her platform through speaking engagements, blogs, webinars, and even a book: Impact & Excellence: Data-Driven Strategies for Aligning Mission, Culture, and Performance in Nonprofit and Government Organizations. As a result, SureImpact has increased new customers by 50%.
Enjoy this episode with founder Sheri Chaney JonesâŠ
Soundbytes
8:58-9:15
âWhen we went talk about branding, when we went to market in 2020, we called ourselves the first impact management platform on the market. And what's been fascinating is, since launching, some of our largest competitors have rebranded themselves as an impact management platform.â14:23-14:36
âSo prior to even launching, launching true impact, I had been traveling, speaking at conferences, talking about how to create these data driven, high performing cultures. And so we've just leveraged that platform I'd already had.â19:59-20:39
âIf I write and start with a place of gratitude and start my day with writing everything I'm grateful for, and then maybe my wishes or my prayers. Then once I get through that laundry list of stuff, what's so interesting is a new level of inspiration will show up, and I'll start writing in the third person, which is so fun. It's so fun when my journaling takes that shift where I'm writing to myself, and it's almost like my inner self, or the self that has that wisdom or intuition is guiding me and telling me what to do.âQuotes
âIâve always been fascinated by using data to predict performance.â
âFor entrepreneurs and businesses, we have some pretty common metrics we use. But these non-profits and social sector organizations have to add another layer of metrics to the conversation: are they changing lives and changing circumstances?â
âI didn't find the product on the market that was solving the problem that I thought needed to be solved. So we built a product for the future.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
SureImpact website: https://www.sureimpact.com/
Measurement Resources Company: https://measurementresourcesco.com/
Connect with Sheri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherichaneyjones/
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Aakash Shah struggled with allergies for years before finally finding permanent relief. Now heâs helping others access the same life-changing treatmentâall from the comfort of their own homes.
Aakash is the founder and CEO of Wyndly. He holds BAs in Computer Science and Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia. After graduating, he helped found and grow several startups, two of which he saw through successful acquisitions. In 2020, Aakash joined forces with his cousin, Dr. Manan Shah, to found Wyndly: a 5-star online telehealth experience that provides convenient access to allergy immunotherapy.
From Computer Science to Telehealth
The idea for Wyndly began with Aakashâs own allergy issues. After being thrown around the healthcare system for years, none of the allergists heâd seen could fix the problem. The best solution they could offer him was to visit their clinic weekly for treatment.
Aakashâs cousin suggested a popular alternative in Europe, where doctors mailed their patients sublingual (under the tongue) immunotherapy treatment. It worked: Aakash experienced permanent allergy relief. He sold his wife and sister-in-law on the same regime, and when they had similar results, he knew there was business potential.
Wyndly now provides permanent, fully remote allergy relief. Their customers receive personalized treatment in the mail and unlimited access to their team of doctors via text message, chat, and email.
A Unique Business Model
When Wyndly launched in 2020, Aakash noticed two key marketing trends: first, people were more open to buying healthcare products online. Second, more people were self-educating themselves through video content. They capitalized on the first trend by providing a fully remote experience. As for the second trend, Wyndlyâs TikTok videos average around a million monthly views.
A few years later, theyâve branched into other marketing strategies like SEO, paid ads, and email marketing. They also accept referrals from other doctors.
Wyndlyâs business model is unique because most healthcare businesses are dictated by what insurance companies are willing to cover. Although Wyndly accepts insurance, most customers are happy to pay $100/month for permanent allergy relief. They also offer a compelling guarantee: try it out for six months, and if you donât experience relief, theyâll issue a full refund.
Enjoy this episode with founder Aakash ShahâŠ
Soundbytes
6:30-6:49
âThis is just so much better that the world has to be experiencing it. And that was my shift into entrepreneurship, right? Once I realized that there was a big enough problem that I felt passionate enough aboutâŠthere just has to be someone chasing after this.â12:58-13:20
âIt's really important to know where your first 1-2,000 customers are going to come from. And a lot of times, people out there will say, âWell, try Facebook ads] or try door-to-door sales or this or that. And maybe those will be right. But you really have to sit down and talk to folks and try to identify where are your buyers coming from.âQuotes
âI built the medical experience I wish I had.â
âThatâs probably the #1 way people become entrepreneurs, they see someone else do it and decide to take the leap behind them.â
âItâs really important to know where your first 1,000-2,000 customers are going to come from.â
âItâs important to understand who your specific customers are, and we did that by just sitting down and talking to them.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
Aakashâs website: https://www.aakash.io/
Wyndly website: https://www.wyndly.com/
Connect with Aakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mraakashshah/
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If you want to grow your e-commerce or retail salesâor you happen to be a cigar loverâthis episode is for you!
David Garofalo is the owner of Two Guys Smoke Shop, the largest independently owned and operated cigar retailer in the world. Heâs also the host of The Cigar Authority Podcast and author of the book David vs. Goliath: How to Compete and Beat the Online Giant. Davidâs other business ventures include 21 Podcast CafĂ©, where he helps promote and market other small businesses, and United Cigar, a B2B cigar wholesaler and U.S. Distributor.
A Business Built to Last
David founded Two Guys Smoke Shop in 1985 and now has three generations of family who work with him. Aside from their brick-and-mortar locations, they also run a thriving e-commerce business.
Google and Facebook have made it difficult to run cigar advertisements, so David turned to podcasting. Over a decade later, The Cigar Authority is the longest-running and most listened-to cigar podcast in the world. It also grew their online sales exponentiallyâwhich saved the company during COVID-19.
Having survived both the pandemic and the 2008 recession, Davidâs mission is to pay it forward by helping other retailers survive tough times.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Davidâs biggest piece of advice for business owners is not to copy other brands. Find your own thing, whether itâs your customer experience, a new marketing angle, or the products you offer. When each business is unique, thereâs room for everyone.
Another way to stand out from competitors is through great customer service. These days, quality service is rare, and people remember a positive experienceâespecially in retail. Online retailers can offer better pricing, free shipping, and the convenience factor, so you need to provide something they canât: human connection. Give people an experience to remember when they come into your store.
Enjoy this episode with entrepreneur David GarofaloâŠ
Soundbytes
26:32-26:48
âI started podcasting in 2010. Those were the days I had to show people, âHereâs what a podcast isâ. No one knew what it was. I did that to help my brick-and-mortar retail, but what it really did was help my online sales.â32:41-33:20
âI went right to work, I didnât go to college. I was actually pretty bad in school also. I was a C-D student. I tried, it was always A for effort but I couldnât take a test well. I got into the cigar business, I became an expert as fast as I possibly could. That little cigar boom I told you about happened. And I got a call one day from Harvard UniversityâŠand they said, âWeâd like you as a speaker at Harvard University. I said, âYouâve got to be kidding me.ââ40:32-40:56
âDonât try to be me. Donât try to do that, because youâre not going to be as good at being me as I am. So figure out another way to do it. There can be all kinds of restaurants down the street, they all make it. But if one is doing the exact same thing as the other, they can either split the business or one gets the crumbs from the other. You just canât do it, so come up with your own thing.âQuotes
âYou need to love what you do and be passionate about it, especially as a salesperson.â
âI didnât go to college. I was actually pretty bad in school...but I got into the cigar business, I became an expert as fast as I possibly could. And I got a call one day from Harvard UniversityâŠand they said, âWeâd like you as a speaker at Harvard University.ââ
âIâm going to help other retailers for the rest of my life. Because Iâve gone through tough times like everybody else has.â
âDo something different. Make a splash.â
âThe people that say, âDave youâre very lucky,â donât know me. They donât know how hard I worked. Because luck had nothing to do with it. The harder I worked, the luckier I got.â
Links mentioned in this episode:
Visit Davidâs website: http://DavidGarofalo.com
2 Guys Cigars: http://2GuysCigars.com
The Cigar Authority: https://thecigarauthority.com
David vs. Goliath: How to Compete and Beat the Online Giant: https://store.bookbaby.com/bookshop/book/index.aspx?bookURL=David-vs-Goliath&b=c_bu-bu-bl
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