The Award Winning Small Business Show is the only Small Business Podcast that is By, For and About Small Business Owners.
With over 40-years of Small Business experience between them, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss topics related to starting, growing and managing your Small Business.
You’ll find real-world advice from ourselves as well as from guests that have started, run and sold Small Businesses both big and small. With over 200 episodes, there is a wealth of content, advice and interviews that we hope will inspire, educate and perhaps motivate you to start your own Small Business.
Being proactive when communicating with your customers helps to build trust and credibility. What happens when your customers find out about bad news before you tell them? Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton for this episode of the Small Business Show to hear a great example of what NOT to do when things go wrong.
Dave shares his experience with poor communication that literally stopped a company from being able to do business in his local area. And of course, Shannon adds to the tale with his own experience with this business, but from an entirely different perspective. Oh, and it involves beer, which is always a good thing.
We then jump into a discussion about the right and wrong way to try to promote tie-in sales of, let’s just say, somewhat related businesses. You’ll hear why considering your demographic for one service before you try to promote a different product to that audience is critical to success, along with some other tips about growing your customer base.
There’s a lot more to learn and we couldn’t think of a better way to allocate 32-minutes of time for your ears. We also want to hear from YOU! Contact us and comment at the Small Business Support Group. Thanks for listening!
Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #224 for Wednesday, May 22, 2019
00:21:54 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS to apply for free today and find out if if there’s a board seat available in your area!
00:23:57 The New York Times vs. The Daily Podcast and Subscriptions
We all have an inner judge that can help us or hold us back. Our subconscious mind is constantly absorbing information and playing it back to us, sometimes reminding us of our successes, but often replaying our failures and sabotaging our success.
Can we focus the power of our subconscious to help us succeed?
Damn right we can. With some practice and consistent exercises, we can tune our inner judge to constantly propel ourselves towards success, instead of holding us back.
Join us today on the Small Business Show where you’ll hear from two experts at programming their subconscious to help them live the Charmed Life off successful Small Business Owners. Your hosts, Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean believe strongly in the power of programming ourselves for success and of creating our own reality each day to attract the “luck” that is so essential to achieving what we want.
First up, we will discuss:
Our definition of the subconscious – What is it and why are we talking about it?
Why you need to get friendly with it – Friend or Foe, you get to choose
The Moist Robot theory – Create the program that you want
After the break, we jump into tips and tricks for Changing Your Mind:
Mastering our memory of mistakes – Learn from and move on. Yes, Coach!
Back to our childhood to use the “I’m rubber and you’re glue” concept
It’s a 24/7 commitment – Shannon’s “change the lyrics” story
Give yourself permission to dream – visualize where you want to be, who you want to be
Dismiss the Vampires in your life and attract other positive influences
Using Audio to change your programming
Success creates more success – create your Success List – no matter how small
00:15:10 SPONSOR: Linode. Instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. Get a server running in seconds with your choice of Linux distro, resources, and choice of 10 node locations. Visit Linode.com/SBS and use promo code sbs2019 to start with a $20 credit.
00:17:39 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS to apply for free today and find out if if there’s a board seat available in your area!
00:19:18 Monica Shah in SBS 219 – The fear of the unknown can convince you you’re not worthy
00:22:20 Mastering your mistake memory
00:23:15 Finding your rock bottom – Get Scared
00:28:27 Identify and compartmentalize the vampires
00:31:22 “Change the lyrics” to your life’s song
00:33:49 Give yourself permission to dream of the person you want to be
What would your business look like at twice its size? Ten times its size?
There’s a procrastinator in all of us. When it comes to Small Business, putting things off can create problems, but it can also create opportunities. Join us today for episode 222 of the Small Business Show to hear how you can overcome this natural tendency and take advantage of the opportunities it creates.
Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean – two experts at procrastination and how to turn it into an advantage in your Small Business life as we take a deep dive into why we all put things off and how many of us miss the opportunities it can present.
First up, we discuss why we procrastinate:
Lack of instant gratification
Seems overwhelming
May cause a negative outcome
Unpleasant to deal with – firing an employee for example
Easily distracted: Squirrel!
Then we jump into ways to manage procrastination.
Mix things up – spend time on the stuff you don’t want to do, interspersed with things that get you excited, motivate you, etc.. – Plan your day around this concept.
Don’t create the monster To-Do list – it can overwhelm you. Use the To-Did list concept to motivate you throughout the day and to recognize what you did accomplish.
Break down tasks into smaller chunks – easier to think about and accomplish – especially if it’s a negative.
Unplug – focus on the task at hand – put your phone down, go DND. Set a timer.
Don’t overcommit your time.
Think about when you are most productive? Early morning, late at night – use that power accordingly.
Use tools to help – software tools, sonic-boom alarm clock, timers.
Form habits – do something new for 30+ days and you’ll create a new habit.
Create a work environment – home office, closed door, work hours.
We wrap up the show with a discussion of how procrastination by others can create a business opportunity for you. Dave shares the story of starting Backbeat Media to handle tasks that other publishers had put off and Shannon discusses creating a business to handle inventory that large retailers neglect and let pile up.
How about you? Share your stories of overcoming procrastination and what methods work for you at the Small Business Support Group. Thanks for joining us again this week!
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Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #222 for Wednesday, May 8, 2019
00:01:22 The symbiosis of different desires
“If we accepted a student body made up entirely of class presidents, nothing would ever get done on campus” -UChicago College Tour
Marketing your business online, whether on search engines or social media can be challenging. There are so many platforms, where do you focus most of your energy? How do you measure results and what tactics have the biggest impact with a limited marketing budget? Today on the Small Business Show, we’re going to answer those questions and more as we’re joined by Kirk La Sala, digital marketing expert from Tanglefree.
Join us today for an in-depth dive on digital marketing, along with insights from Kirk and your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton from their own experiences with marketing Small Businesses online.
You’ll hear the story of how Kirk developed his Talent Stack over 15-years by running his own businesses, as well as managing online marketing for other companies. Kirk shares a number of valuable tips that will help any Small Business owner plan and improve their digital marketing.
We discuss applications of Pull Marketing using keywords on search engines or Push Marketing using social media and which method you should be using, or mixing together, as well as using a Pick Chart to help focus where your attention should be to have the biggest impact on your success. You’ll hear why setting up your analytics correctly at the start of any digital marketing program is key to success and how email marketing should be an important part of your program.
There’s a wealth of information on this episode that you don’t want to miss. Listen in, then join us at the Small Business Support Group to ask questions and share your own stories.
Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #221 for Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Continuing our series of shows about Coaching and Mentoring, today we’re joined by Chris Prefontaine, Founder of Smart Real Estate Coach. Chris and his family have been in the Real Estate business for over 25 years and after building 100’s homes and buying and selling over 80 million in properties, Chris decided it was time to share his expertise with others.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton today for this episode of the Small Business Show to hear how a drop in the market caused Chris to expand his Revenue Stack and add the Smart Real Estate Coach services to his business. You’ll hear Chris’ best practices for working with family, and how creating new systems for training and guidance are the next steps for Chris’ business.
You’ll also learn why becoming an authority in your niche is critically important for long term success, how managing expectations are key to customer success and much more.
00:05:52 The organic evolution of a family business
00:07:22 “Nothing negative or challenging comes home”
00:08:24 Match all decisions with your corporate values and mission
00:08:53 Helping your Customers Manage their Expectations
00:12:48 Who are your customers?
00:13:58 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS and get the “25 Timeless Principles of Exceptional Businesses” e-book free!
Starting a business, creating revenue streams and building wealth are topics we discuss on the Small Business Show every week. It can often seem like a daunting task: what to start first, where to focus your energy and how to develop a system based approach to achieve what you want.
Sometimes having a coach provide you with guidance is just what you need. Today, we’re joined by Monica Shah, founder of Revenue Breakthrough, a coaching and training resource that helps their clients breakthrough many of the obstacles they face to achieve success.
Monica shares her own story of powering through bleak times to achieve success, how she learned that finding a good business coach was critical and how it led to her starting Revenue Breakthrough. After 15-years of coaching, mentoring and helping people achieve success, Monica has some powerful tips to share.
Don’t miss this episode of the Small Business Show. Listen and then join us at the Small Business Support Group to comment, ask more questions and join the discussion.
Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #219 for Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Focusing on Marketing and Sales to help Entrepreneurs make more money
00:05:55 Rock Bottom: Sitting on the floor of the NYC Subway
00:08:57 The metaphorical 100 steps
00:10:33 Find a coach that lets you be you
00:11:21 Look to be challenged
00:14:04 SPONSOR: The Alternative Board. TAB is a group of business owners & experts in your area that you can turn to for advice. Visit TheAlternativeBoard.com/SBS and get the “25 Timeless Principles of Exceptional Businesses” e-book free!
00:16:30 The awkward money conversation
00:18:12 Money fears
00:21:15 Getting comfortable with fear
00:22:48 Own the stage. Command the stage.
00:27:10 Who am I waiting for before I make money?
If you’re a Soloprenuer, there’s no one to delegate to. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be delegating tasks outside of your core competency. Join us today for this episode of the Small Business Show as we discuss methods to use outsourcing to delegate so you can win the 10/1000 battle. We discuss outsourcing resources, how to be selective when choosing a contractor and much more.
Your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton then jump into a discussion about dispute resolutions with 50/50 partners. Shannon offers us a method of assigning votes and how to find an independent voice that can represent the business’s best interests, vs you or your partners.
Then it’s on to the topic of Boomerang Employees. These are employees that leave your business for one reason or another, then want to come back. Should you re-hire? What questions do you need to ask yourself (and the employee) before you consider re-hiring? What message does re-hiring send to your other employees and customers? If you do decide to re-hire, should you put that person back in the same position? Does their salary change? Listen in to find out our thoughts on these employee issues and more.
After the show, come share your own experiences, questions and thoughts at the Small Business Support Group. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Small Business Show!
Chapters/Timestamps
00:00:00 Small Business Show #218 for Wednesday, April 10, 2019
00:01:38 The hardest thing I do everyday
00:04:44 “We try to be as inefficient as possible”
00:09:26 Dispute resolution in 50/50 Business Partnerships
Having the fortitude to power through adversity is one of the keys to Small Business success. Every guest we’ve had on the Small Business Show has a story (usually more than one) about how getting through rough times has made them a better business owner.
What strategies work best when things are not going right? How do you keep your focus on other parts of your business when dealing with big problems? Join your hosts, Dave Hamilton, and Shannon Jean, as they welcome back Bryan O’Connell of Meras Water Solutions to share tips and strategies for getting through tough times.
It’s been three years since Bryan first came on the Small Business Show to discuss handling massive growth at Meras in a short timeframe and how they implemented systems and ramped up staffing to keep things on track. We’re thrilled to have him back on again to share his experiences with what to do when things go wrong.
Join us for this episode of the Small Business Show, then visit the Support Group to join the conversation!
Chapters/Timestamps:
00:00:00 Small Business Show #217 for Wednesday, April 3, 2019
We had a great response to our last episode and the concept of keeping a To-Did list. Lots of emails, questions, and comments in the Small Business Support Group. A number of comments were made about the importance of tracking what you DIDN’T do – a To-Didn’t list, if you will.
On this episode of the Small Business Show, we will expand on that topic and discuss the importance of prioritizing your own time, delegating when you can and outsourcing when you need to.
Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton as we start the show by discussing why Customer Service matters, no matter what business you are in, and why becoming a mentor, on any scale can inspire you to greater things. We then jump into the deep dive on how to Prioritize your time, delegating and outsourcing.
On this episode of the Small Business Show, your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss how to build a reward system for volunteers or interns at your Small Business, managing your time and making connections at events and using a twist on the to-do list to see how your day went.
Dave returns from SXSW with stories and tips on connecting with people by creating your own serendipity and going out of your way to meet people, even if it’s just for a brief moment. We discuss the enormous contribution that volunteers make at SXSW and how to apply that concept to your Small Business.
After a word from our awesome sponsors at Care/of and Abby Connect, we learn about the To-Did list.
Shannon is not a fan of structured to-do and time management systems like GTD and others. It just doesn’t work for him and it takes too much time to manage the information on these lists.
On the other hand, at the end of the day, it’s important to see how productive you were, or how much you didn’t get done. The concept of the To-Did list is simple: keep a loose list, or set reminders to keep you focused on important tasks. Then, as you move into other tasks or unexpected interruptions throughout the day, record those on your list. Write down (digital or old school pad of paper) what you achieved that day. Check in hourly and be sure you are on task.
Listen in for more details about the To-Did list concept and why it can be a powerful tool to help create success, create your own reality and ultimately help you to live the Charmed Life of a successful Small Business owner.
Chapters/Timestamps
00:00:00 Small Business Show #215 for Wednesday, March 20, 2019
