Chances are, you’ll be attending a Conference or Trade Show related to your Small Business at some point. How do you maximize your time and have the best possible experience from attending a Conference or Trade Show? Join us for episode 208 of the Small Business Show to find out!

Your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean have attended, reported on and exhibited at hundreds of Conferences and Trade Shows. From small events with just a few hundred people to the Consumer Electronics Show with hundreds of thousands of attendees. Each of these events requires planning and purpose to be sure you get the best result out of your attendance.

Listen in and you’ll hear about the importance of researching the event so you’ll be confident and comfortable, how building trust with existing and new contacts is critically important and why hanging out in conference hallways can be a great way to make connections.

We discuss the importance of listening more than talking, planning meetings before the show while also keeping some flex time available for what may come up and why connecting in the evening could be the best part of the event.

Join us for all this and much more in this episode of the Small Business Show! After the show, click over to the Small Business Support Group to share your own tips.

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #208 for Wednesday, January 30, 2019
• 00:00:58 The cycles of business and weather
• 00:02:58 The Trade Show/Conference Episode
• 00:03:50 How can you be comfortable and confident at the show?
• 00:06:15 Proper planning
• 00:07:56 Goal: building trust
• 00:10:22 The Hallway Track
• 00:11:56 Listen to People
• 00:13:59 On-the-fly Juggling
• 00:15:53 SPONSOR: Abby Connect. Get $95 off your first bill at AbbyConnect.com/sbs
• 00:18:31 SPONSOR: TextExpander.com/podcast gets you 20% off your first year
• 00:20:36 Most of the business happens after the show floor ends
• 00:28:59 Manage your body!
• 00:30:31 Eat no meals alone
• 00:33:21 Managing business cards
• 00:37:26 GG 208 Outtro

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When starting a Small Business, there’s a few different ways to go. You can start from scratch on your own, work with a partner to create something new, buy an existing business or purchase a franchise.

We’ve talked about the first 3 many times on the show, but not much about buying a franchise, or franchising your own business. Today we’re going to get educated in the franchise business model by Nick D’Agnillo of Nexus Property Management.

Join your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean to learn how Nick gained experience as a Real Estate investor to start Nexus Property Management, with a plan to create a business he could franchise. You’ll learn how to get startup information from your future competitors, why up-front and transparent pricing can be a competitive advantage and just how many hurdles are in front of you if you are considering franchising your Small Business.

You’ll also learn the steps required to turn your business into a franchise – from hiring a consultant to analyze your business, to the detailed Franchise Disclosure Document. Nick also shares what costs you will incur and how much money you need to set aside to complete the franchising process.

Listen in for all this and much more, then visit us at the Small Business Support Group to join the discussion and share your own franchising experiences.

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #207 for Wednesday, January 23, 2019
• 00:01:19 Today’s Guest: Nick D’Agnillo from Nexus Property Management on Franchising
• 00:04:07 Get the secrets from your future competitors… Just Ask!
• 00:05:45 Franchising Plan from Day One
  • The E-Myth
• 00:07:36 The Dreaded FDD
• 00:09:58 The price of starting a Franchising business
• 00:11:30 Is your business franchisable to begin with?
• 00:13:13 What makes a successful franchisee?
• 00:15:29 SPONSOR: Abby Connect. Get $95 off your first bill at AbbyConnect.com/sbs or calling 833-ABBY-WOW
• 00:17:29 SPONSOR: ExpressVPN – Take back your Internet privacy TODAY and find out how you can get 3 months free, go to ExpressVPN.com/SBS.
• 00:20:00 Price Transparency
• 00:21:51 What are Rent4U and Nvest?
• 00:26:37 Nexus’s Property Investment Calculator
• 00:30:00 Mistake: Hiring for Skills not Attitude
• 00:33:03 “No, that would be doing a disservice to all of my clients.”
• 00:34:32 SBS 207 Outtro
  • NexusPropertyManagement.com
  • 888-Nexus-5-5
  • Nick@NexusPropertyManagement.com

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We’re fortunate to discover so many diverse skill sets with all of the Small Business owners we get to meet on the Small Business Show. This week we are joined by Nick Zadrozny, founder and CEO of One More Cloud. We’re excited to have Nick as a guest today so he can educate us about One More Cloud, their products and services and about his Small Business story.

Join us today to hear how Nick and his team created One More Cloud in 2009 to be one of the first companies to offer an Infrastructure as a Service. Nick discusses his years of programming and website programming experience and how a sticky note on his desk, labeled “Build Passive Revenue!” was the impetus to start One More Cloud.

Listen in and hear about Nick’s 10-year journey, moving from Engineer to Manager and then to the leadership position of CEO and how he has adjusted to the various roles and requirements of a fast growing business.

Nick talks about the power of having a group of like-minded peers, such as a CEO Coaching Group to share the details of your business with that can offer advice and criticism of all different aspects of your business, as well as your own actions as CEO.

There’s much more to hear on this episode that you don’t want to miss! After the show, join us at the Small Business Support Group to ask questions, comment and share your own story.

Chapters/Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #206 for Wednesday, January 16, 2019
• 00:01:04 Featured Guest: Nick Zadrozny, One More Cloud00:05:30 Infrastructure as a Service
• 00:06:28 “Build Passive Revenue”
• 00:09:13 Learn what to say “Yes” to
• 00:09:55 SPONSOR: Abby Connect. Get $95 off your first bill at AbbyConnect.com/sbs or calling 833-ABBY-WOW
• 00:12:57 SPONSOR: TextExpander. If you’re on a team, TextExpander will change your life, leaving more time for what you do best. Visit TextExpander.com/podcast to learn more.
• 00:15:06 There’s a marketplace for everything
• 00:18:03 Finding the right customers
• 00:17:13 Role Shift from Technician to Manager
  • Coaching Group with Other CEOs
• 00:21:51 Managing the Entrepreneurial Mindset
• 00:27:35 Showing value to customers
• 00:30:30 Challenges running a Search Engine
• 00:34:23 “You need to pursue your success elsewhere”
• 00:38:34 Find your own “Mental Floss” Opportunities
• 00:41:07 SBS 206 Outtro
  • One More Cloud at omc.io
  • Nick Zadrozny at twitter.com/nz_

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Are you a confident Small Business owner? Has showing that confidence helped build your business? Join your hosts Shannon Jean and Dave Hamilton today on episode 205 of the Small Business Show to hear learn how your own confidence can inspire confidence in your employees and your customers – leading to more sales and success!

You’ll hear why “Praising yourself (and your Small Business) daringly” is a proven marketing technique that you should become comfortable using. When you communicate your expertise and display confidence, most people will believe you and they will tend to confirm that impression in their minds.

We discuss a number of methods to use to create the confidence in yourself and your Small Business to attract success including the controversial use of “directional truths”, promoting past successes and how you overcame adversity even if it was caused by your own mistakes and how talking about big goals can convince potential customers that you’re already there.

Listen in for all this and much more, then join us at the Small Business Support Group to join the conversation, ask questions and share your own confidence story.

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #205 for Wednesday, January 9, 2019
• 00:01:18 The benefits of attending CES
• 00:04:31 Trade shows are valuable!
• 00:05:10 The Confidence Episode
• 00:05:48 Confidence vs. Competence
  • Sammy Hagar says it best!
• 00:06:30 Step one: Say you’re the best; Step two: become the best!
• 00:09:39 People are impressed more by confidence
• 00:11:13 SPONSOR: ExpressVPN – ExpressVPN.com/SBS gets you 3 months free with your 1-year subscription
• 00:14:38 Promote previous successes
• 00:15:57 Tell “directional” truths
  • “Thousands of customers…”
  • “Multi-million dollar business…”
  • “Dozens of employees…”
• 00:18:58 Promote brand name customers and big deals
• 00:22:13 Talk about how you’ve overcome mistakes
• 00:23:29 Talk about your goals
• 00:24:38 Know your cash numbers, even if they suck!
• 00:30:11 SBS 205 Outtro

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Join us this week as your hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean discuss resolutions for your Small Business, how being productive is a great motivator to propel you forward and how focusing on efficiency can start your New Year off strong.

We then jump into a discussion of using Debt as a Catalyst to massively-positive cashflow. Dave explains this concept while Shannon tries to poke holes in the idea, but then gets onboard.

The debt discussion leads us to a talk about not knowing what you’re capable of until you are forced to act and how Crisis can be a powerful change-agent for you and your company.

Listen in and then join the discussion at the Small Business Support Group!

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #204 for Wednesday, January 2, 2019
• 00:02:05 The benefits of feeling productive
• 00:03:17 Resolutions: Intentional change, Prioritizing Efficiency
• 00:06:40 Managing Your Staffing Equation
• 00:08:59 Using Debt as a Catalyst to massively-positive cashflow
• 00:14:05 Competition is a catalyst, too
• 00:15:20 Learning your own capabilities
• 00:20:20 Lack of Crisis Creates Complacency
• 00:23:09 SBS 203 Outtro
  • Email us: feedback@businessshow.co
  • Next week: Confidence

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This week, while Dave and Shannon enjoying spending time with their family and friends for the Christmas holiday, we revisit one of our favorite episodes with Paul Downs, author of Boss Life and Small Business contributor to the New York Times and Forbes.

This was a very special episode. If you missed it, you’re going to learn a tremendous amount. If you’ve heard it before like we have, listening to it again as we did during our editing is definitely worth your time.

How prepared are you for the challenges of running your small business? What energizes you to make it through tough times and just how transparent are you (and should you be) to your employees and everyone else that you discuss your business with?  If you felt like your business was about to shut down, could you imagine reaching out to the New York Times with an offer to share the experience with thousands of people? Paul Downs thought it would make for a good story and he wrote for the NYTimes.com for 4-years before writing a “year in the life of my business” book: Boss Life.

You’ve never read a business book like Boss Life. The book quickly joined our list of “must reads” for all current and potential business owners. The work is the most honest and transparent business book that we have ever read and we encourage all of you to read it.

Today, Paul Downs joins Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean on the Small Business Show where they dig deeper into Paul’s story, into Boss Life and into the work ethic that has kept Paul in business for over 30-years.

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If you’re a Small Business owner, chances are you like things to be done a certain way – that may be why you don’t work for someone else, doing things their way. This is a powerful trait that can push you to succeed – but, it can also turn you into a micromanager when it comes to your employees, contractors and partners.

So, how do you avoid being a micromanager while at the same time being sure things are getting done and that people are embracing change and not getting stagnant? Let’s figure it out together on this episode of the Small Business Show.

Join Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean as they discuss their own micromanaging issues and how they have worked hard to overcome them with tactics like up-front communication, planned check-ins and perhaps most importantly, using persuasion to nudge things along in the direction that you want, while protecting the autonomy of your employees, contractors and partners.

During the discussion, we come up with ways to promote change and avoid getting stuck at a “comfort level” for your team along with ways to foster change as a foundational part of your business.

Join us for this and much more on this episode of the Small Business Show, then come share your story at the Small Business Support Group.

Thanks for listening!

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #202 for Wednesday, December 19, 2018
• 00:02:56 Working your own way
• 00:03:54 Creating Perpetual Change
• 00:07:01 Set check-in/adaptation points
  • “You’re going to get bored if we don’t change it”
• 00:09:02 Why is micromanaging so bad?
  • “I’ll back up every decision you make, but I reserve the right to critique them with you”
• 00:13:34 Delegate the work, and set Clearly-defined Checkpoints
  • Fostering Autonomy
• 00:15:45 Don’t get comfortable
• 00:18:21 Use the illusion of choice to foster buy-in
• 00:20:23 Have that removed!
• 00:23:07 Treat people the way they need to be treated, not the way you need to be treated
• 00:24:03 Embrace change, reward risks
• 00:25:48 Eradicate the Resistors!
• 00:30:03 SBS 202 Outtro

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Most of us create businesses to support our lifestyle, but there’s some people that live a lifestyle that seems to lend itself to starting businesses. Today we’re going to talk to Jeff Anderlite, a serial business owner that has travelled the world, in what looks like to us, like a pursuit of living a “non-boring” life. Along the way, Jeff has started a hostel in Nicaragua, a Spice company, a clothing brand and naturally, a business to help other businesses succeed. We’re sure you are as eager as we are to hear the backstory here…

Join us and you’ll hear Jeff talk about starting his first business when he was in High School, how he knew early on in his life that in order to be true to himself, he would need to create and be an Entrepreneur and how his experiences working with different partners has taught him so much.

You’ll hear about Jeff’s travels around the world and how he has combined his love of travel with marketing for his apparel business, Baja Llama and how his latest business, Ignite360 is helping other companies with their marketing and growth.

After you hear the show, click over to Baja Llama and use coupon code Bajallama30 to take 30% anything through Dec 31, 2018.

Listen in and then come talk with us at the Small Business Support Group!

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #201 for Wednesday, December 12, 2018
• 00:00:56 Jeff Anderlite, Journeyman Businessman
• 00:03:06 Creating Rockets and Electric Erasers
• 00:03:45 Started with Bottle Buddy
• 00:05:40 “Weird Stuff” Sells
• 00:08:33 Be true to yourself
• 00:11:28 Selling vs. Stopping
• 00:12:56 SPONSOR: Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year.
• 00:15:11 Baja Llama … Travel funding turned into a business?
• 00:17:35 Business partners need to have the same ideology and vision
• 00:20:11 Write it down!
• 00:25:48 Know who you are and what your actions communicate
• 00:28:46 Ignite360
• 00:31:56 Read, Listen, Learn & Take a step back and process
• 00:33:18 SBS 201 Outtro
  • anderlitej@gmail.com

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Join us today for the 200th episode of the *Award Winning* Small Business Show! We’re thrilled to have been ranked as the #1 Small Business Podcast by Feedspot for 2018 and we couldn’t have done it without our listeners. Your Co-Hosts Dave Hamilton and Shannon Jean thank you!

Today we are focusing on Collaboration – why it’s important for you personally, your Small Business, your partners and employees. You’ll hear why Collaboration is good for your own well being, allows you to share your knowledge with other people and learn from specialists in other fields.

We discuss the power of bringing together different viewpoints and experiences to help come up with and refine ideas, to offer suggestions, make changes and corrections in a two-way flow of knowledge that will dramatically improve your output. Collaboration also helps keep you accountable because it’s easy to let yourself down, but much more difficult to let other people down.

Shannon discusses the concept of Collaboration as a tool to bring together different business concepts and to apply ideas from a completely different product or service to your own Small Business – sometimes a completely different take on things can be the differentiator that you need for success.

There’s a few more tips about why Collaboration matters so much before we jump into ways to get yourself and your team to Collaborate. We’ve got a one-word solution for your team that you don’t want to miss. Join us today and then visit the Small Business Support Group to Collaborate with other Small Business owners.

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #200 for Wednesday, December 5, 2018
• 00:01:23 A major award: Top Feedspot Small Business Podcast
• 00:03:11 Collaboration is good for the soul
• 00:07:37 You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
• 00:10:19 It’s much easier to let yourself down than it is a partner
  • How I Built This Method Co-Founders Episode
• 00:14:02 “I never thought of that!”
• 00:20:28 How does a completely different business solve this problem?
  • The Purple Cow
  • Crack pie
• 00:25:33 Create a safe environment for ideas
• 00:27:50 Leverage Serendipity
  • Jay Gentile and BoosterBots on Small Business Show
  • And now… Peak Social Apps
• 00:31:57 Be OK with both Yes and No
• 00:35:49 Food is Collaboration
• 00:39:16 The value of Flex Time and Recognition
  • Move employees around
• 00:41:32 SBS 200 Outtro

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Technology changes quickly and one of the problems we all deal with is finding a home for your old laptop, phone or tablet when you upgrade. How many of us have an old iPhone in a drawer or MacBook sitting on a shelf somewhere? Today we get a chance to learn more about the business opportunity that this situation creates with our guest Brian Burke, owner of SellYourMac.com

You’ll hear the story about how not getting the job of his dreams pushed Brian into creating the company of his dreams. Join us today for episode 199 of the Small Business Show and then join the conversation on the Small Business Support Group!

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Small Business Show #199 for Wednesday, November 28, 2018
• 00:00:55 Brian Burke from SellYourMac
• 00:02:40 Didn’t get the job I wanted out of college
• 00:04:20 Didn’t have enough product to sell!
• 00:04:41 Selling convenience first
• 00:06:40 Rely on yourself as your backup plan
• 00:09:32 Where else to sell your Mac?
• 00:10:56 SPONSOR: Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year.
• 00:12:31 SPONSOR: Go to LinkedIn.com/SBS and get $50 OFF toward your first job post!
• 00:14:30 Buy where you want to sell
• 00:17:35 Let eBay do half your marketing for you
• 00:19:03 Managing your SEO from the core of your website
• 00:20:05 Managing by learning your people
  • Culture Index
• 00:22:19 Beware the fraudsters
• 00:25:21 The (in)efficiencies of addressing fraud
• 00:27:42 Unintentional fraud
• 00:29:10 Never happy with current size. Always Be Growing.
• 00:30:14 Be prepared to work.
• 00:31:59 SBS 199 Outtro

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